TESDA conducts coastal clean-up

by Elsa A. Apiag

LAZI, Siquijor, August 23 (PIA) -- The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) conducted a coastal clean-up at Barangay Catamboan in Lazi, Siquijor, with its trainees and all other employees at the Lazi National Agricutural School on August 9 as part of its annual clean-up drive in line with its TESDA anniversary celebration in August every year.

The clean-up and tree planting activity on August 9 was a province-wide undertaking to signal the start of the 40th founding anniversary celebration of Siquijor Province on September 17 which is dubbed as "Ruby Jubilee Araw ng Siquijor."

Various government agencies and the six local government units of the province including the TESDA-LNAS simultaneously conducted their own clean-up and tree planting drives on the same day (August 9) in their respective designated areas.

Lazi Mayor Orpheus Fua, along with Kagawad Earl “Buddy” Aljas, joined the TESDA-LNAS activity and donated some food and drinks to the group. (PIA-Siquijor/mbcn/rac & TESDA-LNAS/eaa)

============

LTO-Siquijor intensifies drive on helmet law

by Rizalie A. Calibo & R. Aresgado

SIQUIJOR, August 22 (PIA) -- The Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Siquijor are intensifying the drive on the implementation of the Mandatory Helmet Act of 2010.

Supervising Transportation Regulation Officer Gerald Dominguez revealed that more and more motorcyclists had been apprehended and fined for not wearing the requisite helmet.

Dominguez said this is a security measure currently being strictly implemented by the LTO to protect motorcycle drivers, back-riders as well as pedestrians from injuries, accidents and deaths.

“With motorcycles now a common sight everyday from narrow streets to major thoroughfares, riders must wear protective gears to minimize the injury from a collision or other accident," Dominguez added.

To recall, LTO seized nine motorcycles late last month from erring drivers who did not comply with the helmet policy and four more were apprehended the following week for the same offense.

A saturation drive against violators of the Republic Act No. 4163 of the Traffic Rules and Regulation Act and the Helmet Law was made by the local police of Larena town.

Police said that the operation is aimed at reminding those motorcycle drivers to follow rules that are being implemented to ensure road and travel safety.

Under the Law, those who are caught not wearing protective helmets face a minimum fine of P1,500 and a maximum penalty of P10,000. (PIA-Siquijor/mbcn/rac & R. Aresgado)

============

TESDA-LGU strengthens OTOP partnership

by Rizalie A. Calibo

LAZI, Siquijor Aug. 22 (PIA) -- The local government unit of Lazi, in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), is embarking on projects and programs that hope to strengthen the town’s One-Town-One Product (OTOP) commodity - banana production.

TESDA-LNAS Acting Vocational Instruction Supervisor Jose Chiquito Mahinay in his report released to the PIA said, the LGU-Lazi, through the leadership of Mayor Orpheus Fua, has embarked on a massive planting of hybrid “Cardaba”, the country’s most popular plantain or cooking banana.

He said that with TESDA assistance, a seminar-workshop on Banana Production Technology was first conducted recently with selected farmers from the town’s 18 barangays attending.

The next stage was the validation of the proposed planting sites of the participants. A banana Technical Working Group (TWG) was created by the Municipal Mayor comprised with representatives from TESDA-LNAS and the LGU, to facilitate the activity.

First to be validated, he said, are the five barangays initially identified to have Demonstration Farms namely, Lower Kabangkalan, Upper Kabangkalan, Ytaya, Nagerong and Tagmanokan.

As Demonstration sites, these barangays were earmarked to receive two hundred (200) tissue-cultured plantlets each as start up plants.

Mahinay said that some of the proposed sites did not pass validation and adjustments on allocations had to be made.

“Some allocations remained as is while some were either reduced or increased, depending on the actual circumstances prevailing e.g. actual area presented and land classification,” he said.

Validated Demonstration sites were given the go signal to dig holes and prepare the area for planting, he added.

The LGU has committed to support the participants with fertilizer for the first year of establishment and, hopefully, for the succeeding years.

As soon as holes are done, plantlets will be distributed accordingly. Around three months and every quarter henceforth, these demonstration farms will be monitored to keep the LGU posted on the progress, Mahinay also said.

“Hopefully, with the planned expansion of banana hectarage in the municipality and the increased economic activities that go along with it, the commodity would someday elevate itself as the truly adopted One-Town-One-Product (OTOP) of Lazi,” Mahinay stated. (PIA-Siquijor/mbcn/rac & TESDA/jcm).

DILG’s BGPMS goes to all barangays

by Rizalie A. Calibo

 

SIQUIJOR, Aug.22 (PIA)—The local office of the Department of the Interior  and Local Government (DILG) is  expanding its series of orientation training on Barangay Governance Performance Management System (BGPMS) to barangays of the six municipalities of the province.

DILG Information Officer Sheryl Theresa E. Sabolboro said that the office has started the project since June 2011, to only pilot barangays of the six towns but there was a directive from the Regional Office that implementation of the project must be administered to all barangays.

Following that directive, the LGU of Lazi was the first to conduct to all its barangays on July 18, 2011 followed by the LGUs of Larena, Maria, Siquijor and San Juan respectively. Each training was attended by the identified key persons  like Punong Barangay, Kagawads, Secretary Treasurer, SK Chairperson and CSO representatives.

Enrique Villanueva town is scheduled this week.

BGPMS is an assessment tool for barangays that measures the effective delivery of services and accomplishments in the performance of their functions as mandated in the 1991 Local          Government Code and other related issuances.

The tool encourages the barangay to improve its performance and productivity.

The output of this project is the State of Barangay Governance Report (SBGR) which shall be prepared by the BGPMS Barangay Assessment Team headed by the Punong Barangay or his/her designated representative.

LGOO II Sheryl Theresa E. Sabolboro and LGOO V Joseph R. Malabosa acted as resource persons for this activity. (PIA-Siquijor/RACalibo/STESabolboro/DILG)