Day: May 18, 2023

The Peace 911 has turned over 44 former members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Paquibato district to the security sector during its recent 5th-anniversary celebration in Barangay Paquibato Proper here. In a statement Thursday, Maj. Gen. Jose Eriel Niembra, the Army’s 10th Infantry Division (10ID) commander, thanked Davao City’s Peace 911 for being “one of the most effective tools” to destroy insurgency. Niembra noted that the local peace initiative has also led to the declaration of the Davao Region, particularly this city, as insurgency-free. The security sector, composed of the Davao City Police Office and the 10ID under the Eastern Mindanao Command, received the former rebels on Tuesday. ‘The 10ID shares its victory and accomplishments with the Davao City Peace 911 for benchmarking such innovative and inclusive approach to nation-building through exemplary peace programs and initiatives resonating throughout the region,’ Niembra said. Meanwhile, Mayor Sebastian Duterte assured that the city government would take care of the former rebels’ livelihood and daily needs as they transition to mainstream society. ‘We are delighted to celebrate the success of the Peace 911 presentation and mass surrender event. This initiative demonstrates our strong commitment to fostering peace, unity, and progress in our communities,” Duterte said. Lawyer Jonah Presto, Peace 911 focal person, said an opportunity to become peace builders has been given to the former rebels to help sustain the peace and development in the city.

Source: Philippines News Agency

At least 500 jobs are expected to be generated by the anticipated construction of a PHP120 million coconut processing plant in Balingasag town, Misamis Oriental province. In a statement on Thursday, Provincial Board Member Erik Khu said the First Integrated Community Cooperative (FICCO) first presented the project two years ago, noting that it is the right time to make feasibility assessments this year. “FICCO can afford to buy it at PHP15 per kilo, considering that they can process eight by-products out of one fruit-bearing coconut tree,” he said. In its report, FICCO said it approved the project funding to buy a piece of equipment that would be housed in an eight-hectare area in Barangay San Isidro, Balingasag. According to its projection, the facility should initially open on July 8. The processing plant can produce long and short coconut fibers, coco peat, activated carbon and powder for briquettes from its shell, while the fruit and juice from coconuts can produce coco meat, starch, and oil. On May 24, Khu said FICCO, in cooperation with the Balingasag municipal government and the provincial labor and employment office, would hold a job fair exclusive for coconut farmers for the processing plant. He said every village in the town would have a quota of 7,500 coconut trees to hit the target of 60,000 coco drupes daily. FICCO also had a memorandum of understanding with Del Monte Philippines Inc. located in Bugo village here as the buyer of suitable coconuts for tetra-packed ‘buko’ juice that would soon be sold in the market.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Three provincial government-run hospitals here have been cited as ‘Hall of Famers’ for consistently showcasing significant improvement in serving the Cebuano people. Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, head of the Cebu provincial hospital monitoring program’s evaluation team, said on Thursday that the three hospitals – the Carcar City Provincial Hospital, Balamban Provincial Hospital, and Ricardo L. Maningo Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, Camotes Island – bested 13 other hospitals run by the provincial capitol. The three hospitals have been able to maintain their perfect rating of 5.0 in their significant improvements, Loreche said. The evaluation team, she said, has assessed four provincial hospitals and 12 district hospitals based on management and leadership, client satisfaction, processes and systems, infrastructure, and economic enterprise, among others. ‘Governor Gwen (Gwendolyn) Garcia’s hospital monitoring initiative proved to be a success, with the notable vast improvements in the second round of the evaluation,’ she said. Garcia’s initiative came after they noted some negative comments against provincial and district hospitals, such as cracked floors, unorganized emergency rooms, and subpar meals. Dr. Olivia Dandan, head of the Balamban Hospital, said their excellent ranking has allowed them to apply for accreditation as a Level 2 health facility. As a Level 1 hospital, Balamban can provide emergency care and treatment, general administrative and ancillary services, primary care of prevalent diseases in the locality, and clinical services, such as general medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and non-surgical gynecology, and minor surgery. Once it becomes a Level 2 hospital, it will have additional facilities, such as an intensive care unit for critically ill patients and specialist doctors for gynecology and pediatric services. ‘The province of Cebu has one of the best health care systems in place,’ Loreche said, citing their impressive improvements throughout the monitoring and evaluation program.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Australian government is allocating AUD89.9 million or approximately PHP3.32 billion worth of official development assistance (ODA) to the Philippines for 2023 to 2024, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the bilateral meeting between visiting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo in Makati City on May 18. The funding will support programs, specifically on inclusive economic growth, education, training and scholarships, disaster and climate resilience, and peace and stability in Mindanao. The DFA said this is in addition to Canberra’s AUD10.95 million or around PHP405 million commitment to help the country establish a new immunization information, and strengthened laboratory network and surveillance systems during health emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic. From 2022 to 2023, the Australian Embassy said the Philippines has received an estimated PHP3.1 billion in ODA, a huge chunk of which went directly to peace-building in Mindanao. Apart from development cooperation, Wong and Manalo took note of ongoing cooperation in the areas of defense, maritime, counter-terrorism, law and justice, science and innovation, disaster risk reduction, education and training cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, among others. Manalo and Wong also agreed to enhance trade and investment cooperation, including exploring possible cooperation on critical minerals and opportunities to improve two-way tourism. The DFA said both countries are currently negotiating a “work and holiday visa arrangement” but has yet to provide further details regarding its scope. Wong is in Manila for an official visit from May 16 to 18 upon the invitation of Manalo, an addition to the series of high-level visits and engagements between Australia and the Philippines during the Marcos administration. In a press conference in Makati City, Manalo said the possibility of an in-person meeting between President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his Australian counterpart Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is likely once the ASEAN-Australia Summit takes place in March 2024. He said a bilateral visit is also possible ‘at a mutually agreed’ time.

Source: Philippines News Agency