CAGAYAN DE ORO: The provincial government of Misamis Oriental has collaborated with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to adopt food-drying technology, a first in Mindanao.

In a statement on Tuesday, DOST 10 (Northern Mindanao) Director, Dr. Romela Ratilla, said the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between the agency and the provincial government would implement the use of a Mobile Modular Food Processing Facility (MMFPF).

“Misamis Oriental is an agriculture province, and we know that the project will be in good hands with our governor and also the support of our provincial agriculture officer,” Ratilla said.

The MOA covers the deployment of the drying module developed and designed by the DOST Industrial Technology Development Institute and housed inside a 32-foot van.

The MMFPF, also known as “FoodtrIP,” is a good manufacturing practice-compliant food processing facility on wheels, allowing flexibility and accessibility to develop viable commercial products from local vegetables, fruits,
and crops, especially when there is a surplus.

FoodtrIP will also open the facility to farmers, cooperatives, and other producers to access the facility.

DOST-10 and the provincial government will work together to operate the MMFPF to provide technical services for a sustainable and effective operation.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) has restored the three-year prescriptive period to file Employees’ Compensation (EC) claims.

Based on ECC Board Resolution 24-01-02 made public Tuesday, the prescriptive period for all EC claims applications with either the Social Security System (SSS) or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has been reinstated effective Jan. 18 this year.

“Claimants are again given three years from the time the cause of action accrued to file their applications for EC claims with the SSS and GSIS,” the ECC added.

The Commission noted that EC claims cover any work-related contingencies such as sickness, injury, or death.

Private sector workers may file their applications with the SSS, while GSIS are ready to accept applications from government employees.

‘This means that the running of the period for the filing of claims for compensation due to work-related contingencies such as sickness, injury, or death, has resumed,’ it said.

Under Presidential Decree 626
, EC claimants are given three years from the time the cause of action accrued to file their applications for EC claims with the SSS and GSIS.

The law also said that in case of sickness, the counting of three years shall start from the last date of confinement, whether singular or multiple confinements. In case of accident and death, counting starts from the date of the accident or death.

The prescriptive period for the filing of EC claims was suspended when the country was placed under a state of public health emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, in compliance with Proclamation 922 issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte in 2020.

The state of public health emergency was lifted under Proclamation No. 297 signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in July 2023.

ECC is an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment that provides benefits to workers in the event of work-related sickness or injury which resulted in disability or death.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) has restored the three-year prescriptive period to file Employees’ Compensation (EC) claims.

Based on ECC Board Resolution 24-01-02 made public Tuesday, the prescriptive period for all EC claims applications with either the Social Security System (SSS) or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has been reinstated effective Jan. 18 this year.

“Claimants are again given three years from the time the cause of action accrued to file their applications for EC claims with the SSS and GSIS,” the ECC added.

The Commission noted that EC claims cover any work-related contingencies such as sickness, injury, or death.

Private sector workers may file their applications with the SSS, while GSIS are ready to accept applications from government employees.

‘This means that the running of the period for the filing of claims for compensation due to work-related contingencies such as sickness, injury, or death, has resumed,’ it said.

Under Presidential Decree 626
, EC claimants are given three years from the time the cause of action accrued to file their applications for EC claims with the SSS and GSIS.

The law also said that in case of sickness, the counting of three years shall start from the last date of confinement, whether singular or multiple confinements. In case of accident and death, counting starts from the date of the accident or death.

The prescriptive period for the filing of EC claims was suspended when the country was placed under a state of public health emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, in compliance with Proclamation 922 issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte in 2020.

The state of public health emergency was lifted under Proclamation No. 297 signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in July 2023.

ECC is an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment that provides benefits to workers in the event of work-related sickness or injury which resulted in disability or death.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said it is updating its electronic database of farmers and fisherfolk who are estimated to be around 10 million.

In a news release, DA Undersecretary for Operations Roger Navarro said the agency had an initial list of 1.4 million of these stakeholders in the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture before the update started.

‘We were supposed to finish this update last year but we have so many islands to cover,’ Navarro said.

He added the DA will mobilize some 16,000 staff nationwide to fast-track the delayed collection, update and validation of the personal and farm data of stakeholders – farmers, farmworkers, fisherfolk and agri-youth.

It will also request assistance from local government units in the data collection and verification.

The registration and update on records and profiles would determine whether the estimate on the population of the stakeholders is correct and identify individuals truly deserve assistance from the agency.

Navarro said farmworkers should not be included in the DA’s list of beneficiaries as they do not own the farm or crops.

‘Since farmworkers are only seasonally employed in farms, they should be in the list of other government agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development for proper handling,’ he said.

‘We have to make a distinction between a farmer and a farmworker. This will allow us to cleanse the list for better use of our resources,’ he added.

In 2022, the DA started the improvement of its management information system to enhance monitoring of projects and interventions, and to facilitate real-time recording of agri-fishery information.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. has issued two memoranda that outline the latest parameters for the registry update.

Tiu-Laurel endorsed the digitalization project to improve efficiency in DA’s operations, project implementation and monitoring.

He is also considering the establishment of an agricultural statistics office to enhance DA’s
ability to manage demand and production of food, maximizing returns to farmers, and minimizing importation.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO: Sailing enthusiasts are invited to take part in the 51st Paraw Regatta Festival, a cultural celebration of the oldest traditional craft event in Asia and the largest sailing event in the Philippines, paying tribute to Ilonggos’ seafaring skills.

During the media launch Monday, Paraw Sailing Events chair Dr. Roberto Somosa said they have confirmed participants from as far as Boracay Island and some will come from Iloilo coastal towns and Guimaras.

The Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) is also looking at increasing the prizes because mounting a paraw costs up to PHP150,000.

‘We are talking about that. Hopefully, next year, since we are talking of additional categories, it can help bring back more participants,’ he said, as he recalled having 85 participants during the 41st year of the festival.

Last year, 48 paraws joined the main sailing event, a race among sailboats with outriggers covering an almost 30-kilometer stretch from the waters in Villa Arevalo District, this city to Guimaras, and b
ack to Villa.

It is dubbed the ‘search for perfect wind’ because sailors use their maneuvering skills while passing designated markers amid the strong wind to reach their finishing line.

The Paraw Regatta is among the major celebrations in Iloilo together with the Dinagyang Festival and the Chinese New Year.

Somosa said they are thinking of including a slalom competition, with a shorter race course.

The plan is to have a women’s category and a junior category for 12 to 16-year-olds.

‘We will start at the grassroots. This (paraw sailing) is a skill that has been passed from generation to generation. It is about one’s ability to find the perfect wind and direct your sail to get the right angle to propel your boat forward,’ Somosa said.

The pre-registration is on Feb. 12-23. Forms are available at the IFFI office, at the back of the Kerr and Co. building.

The festival highlights will be on March 1-3.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BACOLOD: Some 5,607 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) under the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Negros Occidental 2 (South) are validated to receive the certificate of condonation and release of mortgage (CoCRoM) under the Republic Act 11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA).

The NAEA, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 7, 2023, condones all loans, including interests, penalties, and surcharges incurred by ARBs.

On Tuesday, the DAR Negros Occidental 2 reported a 100 percent accomplishment of the total target ARBs for validation set by the central office.

‘The list will then be forwarded to the regional and central offices and the Land Bank of the Philippines. They will determine the final list of ARBs based on the remarks from the provincial office,’ it said.

After the certificates are issued, the DAR Negros Occidental 2 will proceed with the distribution on dates yet to be announced.

ARBs with completed the validation are from 18 local government units in southern Negros,
including the cities of Bago, La Carlota, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, and Sipalay as well as the municipalities of Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, Pontevedra, Hinigaran, Isabela, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Binalbagan, Ilog, Candoni, Cauayan, and Hinoba-an.

After Secretary Conrado Estrella III issued a memorandum circular in September last year for the creation of a nationwide condonation response and action desk, the DAR Negros Occidental 2 created the Provincial Condonation Response Desk (CoRD) led by Arnulfo Figueroa, officer-in-charge provincial agrarian reform program officer II.

When the CoRD released a summary report in October, the Generation Section started receiving the master lists of ARBs for the filling in of title and lot numbers for transmission to the DAR municipal offices (MOs).

The DARMOs then checked and validated the master lists and sent and posted letter invitations for ARB profiling.

‘Aside from validation through CoRD, each municipal office conducted a DAR-to-door or house-to-h
ouse validation for a more efficient and effective implementation and continuous monitoring and validation,’ the report added.

The DAR said the CoCRoM will open doors and create opportunities for ARBs to make their farms more productive, resulting in greater financial security for farmers and food supply chain security for the Filipino people.

Source: Philippines News Agency