NEWS BITS

 Ilocos Norte wins Panagbenga street dance competition

BAGUIO CITY — Ilocos Norte’s Pamulinawen dance group bested two bets of the province of Benguet in the open category of the street dancing competition at the annual Flower Festival, here, last weekend.

Pamulinawen, a name of a legendary bird in an epic of the Ilocos province, bested the Itogon Cultural Group and the Benguet State University’s Everlasting cultural group by showcasing its best during the field demonstration which came immediately after the street dancing parade along the city’s main thoroughfare.

The winning group from Laoag City, tagged as the country’s “Sunshine City” and just recently celebrated its 65th foundation day, showcased the “grandeur of water” in their performance.

The performance depicted the abundance of fish from the sea as a blessing to the local folk and thanksgiving to the fishermen’s patron saint, St. Andrew the Apostle.

Itogon Cultural Group, which took first runner-up honors, showed in the field performance the mystical saga of the Ambawakan – a fierce hunter known to one of the major tribes in Benguet

In the secondary category, Baguio City National High School bested the Kalinga Cultural Group and Pinsao National High School. Mabini Elementary School got the first place in the Elementary category, their second consecutive year in a row.

 Ifugao implements P91 million development projects

LAGAWE, Ifugao -- A total of P91 million worth of social and economic development infrastructure projects were implemented in the province last year, the Provincial Engineering Office reported.

The PEO said the amount from provincial government’s 2013 and 2014 development fund was used to complete 559 infrastructure projects in 2014.

Projects included concreting of Lagawe – Boliwong road; Pitawan – Dalligan, Kiangan canal improvement, improvement of junction – San Fernando Elementary school in Banaue town, Namal – Pula road improvement in Asipulo. -- Marcelo Lihgawon

27 hired for Chico River Environment Project 

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- Twenty seven newly hired personnel for the Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management Project (INREMP) covering five watershed areas of Chico River were oriented of their functions recently.

The personnel are officers for watershed management, monitoring and evaluation, geographical information system, community development, finance analyst, budget assistant, administrative assistant and drivers.

Remedios Ramirez of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said  their  appointment is renewable every after six months.

The INREMP is a seven year project of the DENR   from 2013 to 2020 which aims to restore  watershed areas in four  major upper river basins in the country , namely the  Chico River,  Wahig-Inabanga in Central Visayas, Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao, and Lake Danao Watershed in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The  INREMP  adapts  integrated approach on how to harmonize development and conservation issues especially on biodiversity  in watersheds within the river basin. 

While proposals and project identification shall emanate from the community, hired personnel are tasked to perform specific  jobs covering management  and operation of the project.

In another development, Ramirez said 158 Bantay-Gubat hired by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process renewed their  contracts  for  2015. – Peter Balocnit

 Tabuk City allots P17 million scholarship fund  

TABUK CITY, Kalinga– TheTabuk City government has allotted P17 million under its educational support program for poor but deserving college students for School Year 2015-2016.

The amount is higher by P2.6 million over the city’s P14.4M scholarship aid for SY 2014-2015 benefitting 3,746 college scholars enrolled in various schools.

Mayor Ferdinand B. Tubban said number of scholars under the program is expected to increase the coming school year.

Under the program, each scholar receives P3,500/semester cash support for tuition and miscellaneous fees.

To orphan scholars, the program extends additional monthly stipend of P1,000.

To maintain the scholarship, beneficiaries must not have failing grades in any semester.

The program also provides additional cash incentives to performing scholars who graduate as summa-cum laude (P10,000),  magna-cum laude (P7,500), cum laude(P5,000) and with honors(P2,000).

As encouragement to scholars to make good and finish college, graduates with excellent grades are given hiring priority. -- Larry Lopez

 9,907 students in Mt. Province take  National Achievement Test

BONTOC, Mountain province – A total of 9,907 students in the province took the National Achievement Test (NAT) for Grade 3, Grade 6 and Fourth Year High School students this March.

Milton Marrero of the Department of Education Division Office here said 3,748 are Grade 3 students; 3,515 were Grade 6 while 2,644 were fourth year high school students.

Marrero said the NAT was conducted March 5 for fourth year high school, March 11 for Grade 3 and March 12 for Grade 6.

The NAT  for  Grade 6 and 4th Year High School aims to measure the knowledge that students have gained in their elementary and high school education respectively.

The NAT for Grade 6 focuses on English, Mathematics, Science, Filipino and Araling Panlipunan. The Fourth Year High School NAT includes English, Mathematics, Science, Filipino and AralingPanlipunan, and critical thinking.

Marrero said the NAT for Grade 3 is the Language Assessment for Primary Grades (LAPG) and focuses on English, Filipino and the Mother Tongue.

The LAPG aims to establish a baseline data for the Filipino and English language learning in the K to 12 Curriculum; evaluate the effectiveness of the Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) instruction across 19 languages; establish Mother tongue Language development across Philippine languages in the context of the MTB-MLE program implementation; compare the performance of Grade 3 pupils on English and Filipino essential skills; and correlate language development across Early Grades Reading Assessment (EGRA), Early Grades Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) and language literacy assessment in the primary grades.

Marrero said since Kankanaey is not included in  the Mother Tongue list, Grade 3 pupils in the province, except  for some parts of  Paracelis where Ilocano learning materials  are  used,  took the test in English and Filipino. -- Juliet Saley

Ifugao LGUs to employ 855 students this summerLAGAWE, Ifugao -- Eleven local government units in the province will hire 855 students this summer to do road and canal maintenance, minor office works and related jobs for 20 days.

The hiring is part of the Special Program for the Employment of Students where LGUs provide 60 percent counterpart of wages while Department of Labor and Employment provides 40 percent. The program is intended to benefit poor but deserving students for their educational expenses. 

The provincial government pledged to hire 249. The municipality of Aguinaldo  committed 96; Asipulo, 80; Tinoc, 65; Hingyon,60; Banaue,54; Alfonso Lista, 52; Kiangan and Lagawe, 50 each; Mayoyao, 44; Hungduan,  31 and Lamut with 24.

Employment of students through the SPES is mandated under Republic Act 9547, which aims to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by hiring them during summer and/or Christmas vacations.

The program is open to qualified high school and college students or those taking up vocational courses.

They must be enrolled during the present school year or term or during the school year or term immediately preceding summer vacation and must have passing grades. -- Marcelo Lihgawon

Medical mission serves1,496 patients in Ifugao

LAMUT, Ifugao -- More than one thousand patients were recipients of  medical mission here at  Panopdopan District Hospital recently.

The 31-member medical group of Filipino and  American doctors, nurses, dentists and support staff served a total of 1,496 people  from municipalities.

The team led by Dr. Conrad Zapanta and Dr. Robert Carpenter brought medicines, supplies and equipment which were donated for the  hospital. 

Based on the report of the provincial government, the dental mission served   482 people on ear consultation – 291; consultation and diabetes screening – 238; hearing test – 117; OB gyne – 115 and other illnesses.

Zapanta and Carpenter were part of medical group  that  conducted the same activity in Lagawe town in 2014. -- Marcelo Lihgawon

DSWD promotes adoption consciousness

BAGUIO CITY -- Legally share a home and a loving family for a child that is dreaming to have one.

This is the advocacy being promoted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development  as  it  spearheads  Adoption Consciousness celebration this February with the  theme, “Legal na Ampon Ako, Anak naTotoo”.

DSWD Social Welfare officer Jireh Lyn Attiyensaid for Adoption Consciousness Week, they are set to open an information booth at SM City Baguio and at the Panagbenga 2015 Baguio Blooms at the Lake Drive of Burnham Park as an IEC (information, education and communication) campaign on legal adoption.

Adoption is defined as a socio-legal process of providing a permanent family to a child whose parents have voluntarily or involuntarily relinquished parental authority over the child.   Legal adoption provides the same mutual rights and obligations that exist between children and their biological parents.

There are three types of adoption in the Philippines namely; agency adoption wherein a licensed agency finds and develop adoptive families for children who are voluntary or involuntary committed for adoption; Family or relative adoption where the biological parents make a direct placement of the child to a relative or a member of their extended family; and private or independent adoption that could either be a direct placement to a family known by the child’s biological parents or through the use of accredited intermediary.

Attiyen said in partnership with the Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Health and the Philippine Information Agency, and  their media partners, DSWD hopes to increase awareness on legal adoption process. -- Hannah Costales and Kim Tiqui

Filipino runners rule Pilipinas Akyathlon

ITOGON, Benguet -- Filipino runners ruled the  2015 PilipinasAkyathlonlast week in this  town  besting over 100 participants from  six  countries.

JemarvinCabilan of the Philippines  emerged the  over-all champion of the 35.3 kilometer out-and-back race  participated  by 119 runners from  the United Kingdom, United States, Malaysia, Chile, Denmark and the  Philippines.  

Baguio girl Sandi MenchiAbahan  retained  her title as reigning female champion.  She attributed  her winning by following her game plan on better phasing and experience.

The winners will represent the country in 29th Mount  Kinabalu  Skyrunnning race in Malaysia.

Now on its fourth year, this international  sporting event is sanctioned by the Philippine Skyrunning Association.

The 2015 PilipinasAkyathlon is described as  a 36-km out and back race starting from the barangay hall of Tinongdan. The first 1.7km is a downhill run on paved road to the start of the trail afterwhich it would be mostly uphill climb to the summit of Mt. Ugo. The route showcases magnificent views of surrounding mountains including portions of Binga and Ambuklao dams as far away as Pangasinan. The 16.4km route from the summit to the finish is a mirror image of the start to the summit,  then a 1.7 km ascent to the finish line.

Itogon Mayor VictorioPalangdan expressed his  gratitude to the international sporting event organizers  for  promoting  tourism in the area. -- Joseph Zambrano

Oncologist advocates cancer awareness and early detection

BAGUIO CITY -- Awareness and prevention remains best ways to combat cancer.

Oncologist Jasmin Igama of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center(BGHMC), said cancer awareness and prevention are vital as two-thirds or two of every three cancer cases are more of lifestyle-related rather than hereditary and most of the new cases are being discovered in late stage already.

Breast, lungs and liver cancer remain most common among cancer patients, according to Igama who also chairs the BGHMC Cancer Center.

She said breast cancer can be detected even through self-examination. Liver cancer, on the other hand, can be prevented by managing Hepatitis-B through vaccination.

In both  lungs and liver cancer, risk factors  include  alcohol and smoking, which should be avoided.

During media forumto  promote National Cancer Consciousness Week and Liver Cancer/Viral Hepatitis Awareness Prevention Month  this February,  Igamasaid BGHMC  was certified by the DOH as  Cervical Cancer Screening Center of the North.

A Comprehensive Cancer Center  will be opened soon, she added.

The BGHMC in partnership with PhilHealth, is also implementing no-balance billing for indigent patients and the    “Z” benefit package for PhilHealth members which covers catastrophic illnesses such as Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia on children and breast and colon cancer. -- Strawberry de Leon and Liza Enriquez 

DA turns over organic trading post to  Ifugao town

LAGAWE, Ifugao-- A P1.5 million worth of organic trading post  in this municipality is now ready for operation  after its launching  this month.

The facility was turned over to the local government unit of Lagawe by the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera regional office after having been appraised by inspection committee of conformity to plans and specifications.

The facility will be used as packaging center of organic products to be sold at the organic display center located at the public market of the municipality.

Mayor Ceasario Cabbigat cited the DA regional and provincial office for selecting Lagawe to host the organic trading post for the benefit of organic farmers.

 According to Carmen Himmiwat,  focal person on organic agriculture of DA-CAR,   the OTP in Lagawe is the first OTP LGU-supported  launched in the Cordillera. 

Their office, she said,   is giving technical assistance to the project like training of beneficiaries on simple book keeping, certification and marketing scheme.

She challenged everyone to utilize properly  and work for the success of the facility.

Meanwhile, Provincial Agriculturist RaymundoBahatan  asked  farmers to practice organic farming  which is also being promoted by the government.

Aside from the provincial organic agriculture ordinance, five towns in Ifugao have their own  municipal  ordinance to encourage more farmers to engage in organic farming . He expressed hope that other municipalities will enact their  own local organic farming  law. -- Marcelo Lihgawon

RDC subsectoral committee to establish databank on IPs

BAGUIO CITY -- The committee on indigenous peoples concerns of the Regional Development Council (RDC plans to establish a databank on indigenous peoples to get total picture of IP population.

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Commissioner for Region 1 and the Cordillera Administrative Region Brigida Zenaida Pawid said a technical working group composed of NCIP, Philippine Statistics Authority and National Economic and Development Authority will review guidelines in  2015 census of population on  identification of IPs.

We have to be prepared to make sure we get the real statistics of IPs in the upcoming census, said Pawidwho  chairs the CIPC.

The 2010 census of  population statistics   was not able  to get the whole IP population  as  many in the urban areas did not really divulge the  IP group they belong unlike in the rural areas.

There is also a confusion of terminologies on ethnic group and ethnolinguistic group, she added.  

As  defined, an ethnic group is composed of a community or population made up of people who share a common cultural background or descent while an ethnolinguistic group is composed of people having common language as an aspect or part of their culture.

Pawid bared disparity in statistics on total number of IPs. Based on NCIP records, there are 14 million IPs divided into 110 ethnolinguistic groups but in the last census, IPs recorded was 10 million.  --  SusanAro