CSC-XI calls for nominees in 2013 search for outstanding public servants

DAVAO CITY, Mar. 06 (PIA) – The Civil Service Commission in the region has reiterated its call for government officials and employees to submit nomination for the 2013 Search of Outstanding Public Officials and Employees which has a deadline set on March 29.

CSC-XI Regional Director Annabelle Rosell said the awards are the highest and most coveted recognition given by the government to individuals or group of individuals who have excelled or shown utmost dedication and commitment in public service.

Rosell said all officials in the career and non-career service of the government including appointive barangay officials and employees recognized as government employees may be nominated.

The Search is part of CSC’s Honor Awards Program (HAP), an annual undertaking that recognizes deserving public servants who have displayed outstanding work performance.

The Search has three awards categories, namely the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award, Outstanding Public Officials and Employees or the Dangal ng Bayan Award, and the CSC Pagasa Award.

The Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award is given to an individual or group which has exceptional or extraordinary contribution with a nationwide impact.

The Dangal ng Bayan Award is conferred to an individual for performing extraordinary act or public service and consistently demonstrating exemplary ethical behavior on the basis of his/her adherence to the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

A cash reward of P200,000 plus other forms of rewards and incentives will also be given to each awardee of the said awards categories.

Meanwhile, the CSC Pagasa Award is conferred to an individual or group of individuals for the outstanding contributions that directly benefit more than one department of the government.

The awardee for this category will receive a cash reward of P100,000 and other forms of rewards.

Rosell bared that Maragusan Mayor Cesar C. Colina, Jr. was the national awardee for the CSC Pagasa category in 2012 for his outstanding accomplishment in his local government unit.

She said HAP aims to motivate and inspire government workers to improve the quality of their performance and instill deeper involvement in public service.

Any individual or organization with extensive knowledge of the outstanding work performance and/or exemplary ethical behavior of the official or employee or group/team may nominate an individual or group of individuals for a specific HAP category, she added.

All nominations must be submitted on or before March 29, 2013 to nearest CSC Field Office in the region or to CSC Regional Office at Ecoland, Davao City. (RGA/CLC/PIA-XI)

WASH Sector sets sanitation indicators for Pablo-affected communities

NABUNTURAN, COMPOSTELA VALLEY PROVINCE, March 5 -The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector, headed by the Department of Health, has agreed on a set of sanitation indicators for the communities affected by Typhoon Pablo.

“These indicators will help us ensure that the Pablo-affected communities who may be living in evacuation centers or occupying temporary learning centers have good sanitation practices,” Engineer Rex Labadia of the DOH said during Tuesday’s WASH meeting held in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.

He said that since there are still schools being used as evacuation centers three months after the typhoon, the Sector needs to come up with a standard or indicator for the said area to ensure the health of the people.

For school evacuation centers, he said, there should be a ratio of one latrine for every 60 people and a ratio of one bathing area for every 100 people. While one handwashing facility is acceptable for every ten persons, he said, the facility should be within ten meters of the toilet. The same indicators apply for evacuation centers and other areas where Pablo victims are staying, he added.

Labadia said that TLCs or Temporary Learning Centers should have one latrine for every 60 students and a minimum of 15 water taps as group handwashing facility.

Both the bunkhouse transit site in the rural areas and the urban areas should have one latrine for every 20 persons and one bathing area for every 40 persons, he said.

“The excreta or refuse disposal facilities built for the evacuation centers should safely contain the excreta or the waste to avoid contamination of the water supply,” he said. These facilities must have access to water for cleaning and flushing, he added.

Labadia said there are various designs for the excreta facilities but cautioned that temporary designs are good only for a lifespan of three months while those with semi-permanent designs for the evacuation camps should be used only for six to eight months.

He said the latrines should be accessible to all people especially women and other vulnerable groups. It should also offer them security and privacy especially to women.(RGA/LAC/PIA XI)

Davao City mulls of expanding free kidney treatment to other hospitals

DAVAO CITY, Mar 6 (PIA) Acting Mayor Rodrigo Duterte mulled of expanding the access of treatment for kidney patients from the Southern Philippines Medical Center by decentralizing the services of the Lingap Para sa mga Mahihirap or free medical fees  to other hospitals in the city.

Speaking in the commemoration of the World Kidney Day in one of the malls this city, he said the plan includes provision of dialysis machines to smaller hospitals and for the city government to shoulder the fees for the medical personnel involved in the treatment.

Duterte said he cannot afford to refuse other residents who need to undergo dialysis in small clinics, aside from those being served by the Lingap program at the SPMC.

He revealed that medical and social services incur the biggest expense in his 19-year experience of local governance.

“We spend P220-Million for burial, medicine and hospital expenses for the residents.  It is bigger than the intelligence fund which is only P5-Million per year,” Duterte said.

He said even discretionary funds are given to the children of poor families in form of scholarships.

Duterte said the city now supports seven thousand scholars.

He also explained his hard stance against criminals as his way of taking good care of the welfare of residents.

Duterte said with the influx of Mindanaoan residents who look at the city as a safe haven, the current population rises to 3.5 Million.

“We have to stop the occurrence of criminal activities which might shoo away investors and residents alike,” he said.

Duterte said that currently, the city earns P4.5 Billion from the taxes collected from business enterprises which make the local government easy to serve the needs of the residents like education for children, medical treatment for residents, incentives for law enforcers, construction of school buildings, and payment for teachers.

He stressed that he denounces violence but he is prepared to address those who will disturb the stable peace and order condition of the city.

“Do not create trouble here given the gargantuan task of serving the people,” Duterte pointed out. 

Records from the kidney treatment dialysis section of the SPMC showed that three hundred kidney patients avail of the Lingap services per year, multiplied to four treatments per month for 12 months resulting to 14,400 treatments annually. (RGA/JSD/PIA-XI)

BIR kicks off tax campaign in Davao

DAVAO CITY- The Bureau of Internal Revenue has kicked off its annual tax campaign aimed at meeting the bureau’s tax collection target.

BIR Deputy Commissioner Nelson Aspe said that BIR’s tax collection goal for 2013 is set at P1.2 trillion.

Last 2012, BIR narrowly missed its collection goal of P1.066 trillion as the Bureau collected P1.057 trillion or 98% of the target. However Aspe said that the collection figures grew by about 14% from 2011.

Aspe said they are expecting P30-40 billion collections from the implementation of the Sin Tax law.

The BIR will intensify programs on enforcement, improved delivery of services and strict compliance from taxpayers.

Among BIR’s continuous reform programs is the use of technology one of which is the use of the Mobile Revenue Collection Officers System (MRCOS) a web based program where data on collections and receipts is transmitted to data centers in real-time.

MRCOS is capable of encoding tax filing and payment information as well as printing of the corresponding Revenue Official Receipt, Official Receipt and Acknowledgement Receipt through the use of handheld devices.

Revenue Region 19 (Davao)Regional Director Glenn Geraldino  said that Davao collected about P10.1 billion last year, however P9.1 billion was only credited to the office as the collections from the top 14 taxpayers was excluded from them. The collection figures is P1-billion more as compared to 2011.

Geraldino said they are asking for a decrease in revenue collection goals because of the impact of typhoon Pablo which hit the region in December 4 of last year. Geraldino said that aside from coconut and banana plantations other supply industries like agricultural chemicals and trucking were likewise affected by the destruction.

The Davao Revenue Region aims to focus on its RATE (Run After Tax Evaders Program), Oplan Kandado (Padlock) of which 200 establishments are under surveillance on suspicion of underdeclaration of sales and non-issuance of proper receipts. Another focus is the implementation of SLSP or the Summary List of Sales and Purchase. 

SLSPs involves Value-Added Tax registered establishments being required to submit their list of sales and purchases. In the Davao Region only 50% have complied with the provisions of SLSP, the revenue region office is expecting a 100% compliance for the process.

SLSP can be used to cross match actual sales and receipts and can be used  to tag erring establishments for its Oplan Kandado program. (PIA/RG Alama)

Davao all set for MICE Conference

DAVAO CITY March 5 (PIA)- Davao City is all set for MICE Con 2013 which will be held this March 6-9 at the SMX Convention Center in SM Lanang, one of the newest shopping and convention complex in the city.

The conference which focuses on the MICE (Meetings Incentives Conventions and Exhibitions) will be the biggest convention which the city will host after the 2006 Asean Tourism Forum.

Lisette Marquez,spokesperson of Duaw Dabaw one of the city's partners in the hosting of the event said that around 500 participants are expected  to attend the conference. These include delegations from 12 countries and 30 cities and provinces across the country.

The delegates will include 100 tourism buyers who will tour the different sites around the City and the nearby localities including the Island Garden City of Samal. Among the foreign buyers include Australian, American, Thai and New Zealanders.

Marquez during an interview at Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao held last Monday (March 4) said that she is confident that the event will run smoothly considering the preparations made by the local government and its partners.

The event is a culmination of extensive preparations spearheaded by the City Government under City Mayor Sara Duterte which created the Davao City Host Organizing Committee composed of local government representatives and private sector partners.  The committee is responsible in covering all areas related to the City's hosting of the conference.

The highlights of the conference are talks touching different topics involving MICE.  Among these include: Imagining the Future of Travel, The Future of Meetings in Asia Pacific, What MICE planners Want, Preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015, Leaders’ Forecast and Rise of Asian Brands.

The theme of this year's MICE Conference “iMICE2013. iGNITE. iNNOVATE. iNSPIRE. iNFUSE,” will also feature other activities such as  MICE Marketplace, an industry showcase of various products and services and MICE Mart a business-to-business event for local sellers and international buyers. (PIA/RG Alama)

Own home: A dream come true for TADECO agrarian beneficiaries

PANABO CITY, DAVAO DEL NORTE March 5, 2013-Leonardo Compania worked for years as a security guard of the Floirendo-owned Tagum Agricultural Development Company Inc (Tadeco), one of the biggest banana producer in the Philippines. Like most people, he and his family dreamed of owning a home someday.

In his quest to have more in life, Compania became a member of the Central Tadeco Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CTARBEMPCO) sometime in 2005. However, his family’s dream of owning a house vanished when the head of the family died a few years ago.

Unknown to the family, Compania’s membership in the Cooperative would help them realize this dream even if he is no longer here to enjoy it. On February 28, 2013, CTARBEMPCO turned over 25 houses to the member-beneficiaries, including Compania’s family.

“Dako kayo ang pasalamat namo kay Don Antonio Floirendo ug sa iyahang pamilya kay ang damgo namo makabalay natuman na gyud (we are thankful to Don Antonio Floirendo and his family for finally making our dream of owning a house come true),” Annalyn Compania, the member’s daughter said. Annalyn said the house will be turned over to her mother Anacoleta, but it is her brother who will occupy the said house.

The 25 housing units form part of the Phase 1 of the cooperative’s housing project for its member-beneficiaries which occupies a total of 24 hectares with 184 residential lots that amount to P9.515 million.

“Each housing unit will cost the member-beneficiaries P160,000 which they will pay at a monthly rate of P1,400,” CTARBEMPCO Vice Chairman Ben Miguel said. However, he added, the members will get back what they have paid after ten years as the Cooperative will refund it to them in cash.

The members have to pay their monthly dues, he added, since it will be used for further development and other housing projects of the Cooperative.

Tibungol Barangay Captain Fernando Candol said the AO Floirendo Foundation has donated one building at the Tibungol High School where the homeowners can send their children to school.

Engineer Jason dela Torre said the original proposal was for the construction of a shell type housing unit without ceiling and partitions amounting to P160,000. There is however a proposal to mark up the cost and add some features to the units, he added.

“This is an ideal location because there is no flooding or typhoon here,” he said. Each lot measures 150 square meters but the house floor area will only measure 36 square meter each, he added.

Dela Torre said the Cooperative will provide a deep well facility to serve as the housing system of the project.  He said the Davao Light and Power Corporation (DLPC) has agreed to provide power in the area already.

Transportation is also not a problem, he said, even if the community is 22 kilometers or 30 to 45 minutes away from Poblacion Panabo.

CTARBEMPCO Chairman Celso R. Cubio, Sr. said they have 759 members including 22 couples. He said the P667 house payment every 15 days is very affordable to the homeowners since they are already receiving a P600 housing allowance from Tadeco.

While the keys of their houses have been officially turned over to the CTARBEMPCO homeowners last week, they still have to wait for the basic utilities to be installed. In the meantime, each homeowner is focused on putting up the final touches to their houses, so they can finally call it home.(RGA/LAC/PIA XI)

DC marks 10th year of deadly bombing, Duterte cites need to study terrorism

DAVAO CITY, Mar 5 (PIA) Acting Mayor Rodrigo Duterte cited the need to look into the reason why terrorism prevails and threatens many countries including the United States up to now.

Speaking to reporters after commemorating the 10th Year anniversary of the explosion at the waiting area of the former terminal of the Davao International Airport Tuesday, he said that terrorism continues to threaten civilizations with its causes still existing and unresolved.

“Unless we address the underlying cause of the terrorism, it will continue to threaten societies in many parts of the world, including the Philippines,” Duterte said.

He said terrorism brings the challenge to governments to be vigilant at all times.

Duterte said even the US was vulnerable to terror attacks hitting the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon in September 11, 2001.

“Terrorism will stay for awhile until we come to terms with the people behind it and ask them why and at least we can offer the minimum requirement of solution,” he said.

Duterte said terrorism continues to be a challenge especially to the security forces.

He hoped that the authorities will have the sane minds to work harder in protecting the residents from terror attacks.

Duterte said terrorism must be understood like violence begetting violence.

“It’s like in the family where someone exacts vengeance if you kill someone, then if you’re killed, your son might look for the perpetrator and kills him and the cycle of violence runs down until the next generation,” he said.

Duterte led the families of the victims in lighting a candle and offering flowers for those 21 people killed and 148 wounded during the explosion. (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)