Monkayo town strengthens grassroots communication

MONKAYO, Compostela Valley , Sept 01 (PIA)--  The Municipality  of Monkayo has taken steps to strengthen grassroots communication with the  reorganization of the Community Development  Information Council (CDIC).

Municipal Mayor Joselito B. Brillantes signed on June 01, 2015 Executive Order No. 026-2015, “Reorganizing Anew the Community Development Council” seeking to establish and maintain communication channels to access information and to strengthen grassroots information and communication.

The reorganized CDIC  also seeks to raise information consciousness at the barangay level and to empower residents of Monkayo to become  active partners  in local government development initiatives.

The CDIC is expected to serve as catalyst of community organization and social mobilization,  to develop a common network for information dissemination, to serve as intra and inter community link, and to develop and harness the communication skills as well as the creativity of students.

Among the major  activities that the CDIC organized this year include the Inter-school Literary Musical Competition held today at Monkayo Municipal Gymnasium participated in by elementary, secondary  and tertiary schools.

Contests lined up during the whole-day event were News Reporting,  Essay Writing,  Quiz Bee,  Vocal Solo/Vocal Duet and Dance Theater.  The Film/Video Competition judged on August 27 formed part of the Inter-school Literary Musical Competition.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the event, Mayor Brillantes viewed the Inter-school Literary Musical Competition as  the “season of discovering talents”.

He, however, called on students to arm themselves with humility which, he said, should go along with whatever success they may achieve.  

“Dapat isaalang-alang ang pagkumbaba. Marami na ang nagkamit ng tagumpay, pero konti lang ang bumalik upang magpasalamat. (We should consider being humble. Many have become successful but only few come back to thank.),” he said.

Meanwhile, CDIC Chairperson Elyn M. Atienza during the same event revealed that the municipality of Monkayo first held an inter-school literary competition on September 13, 1989, a day before that year’s founding anniversary of the town.

On top of Quiz Bee, news reporting,  dance theatre and film video are  the three new events added to the line-up of literary competitions, she said.  (PIA 11/ Jeanevive D. Abangan) 

Importance of global value chain services in generating jobs highlighted in APEC meeting

Member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) must take a deeper look at the role of services in global value chains (GVCs) due to their potential to become new sources of growth and jobs for the country and the region, NEDA Deputy Director-General Emmanuel Esguerra said on Monday.

“We would like to see greater participation of services in various GVCs that will increase productivity and add value to goods produced. In the process, these will create more jobs and make growth more inclusive,” said NEDA Deputy Director-General Emmanuel Esguerra.

Esguerra headed the Philippine delegation to the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting during the Joint Meeting of the APEC Group on Services and Market Access Group (GOS-MAG) on August 26.

In a paper for the APEC 2015 Research Project, the Philippine Institute of Development Studies explained that the value chain is the “full range of activities that firms and workers perform to bring a product from its conception to end use and beyond."

According to the paper, GVCs reflect the fact that activities that constitute a value chain have generally been carried out in inter-firm networks on a global scale.

Global value chains account for more than 50 percent of global trade. Their significant role in international services trade creates a sense of urgency to make the services sector more competitive, Esguerra said, underscoring the need to focus more in this area.

The joint GOS-MAG meeting showcased studies of how select APEC member economies opened markets for services in specific sectors to benefit from participation in GVCs.

“This initiative is definitely a progressive move towards creating a better understanding of how our economies can maximize GVC participation and how APEC can create the appropriate policy environment conducive to the growth of services value chains,” said Esguerra.

He also noted the importance of developing innovative services within GVCs and prioritizing services in the development agenda, addressing services and investment restrictions, and achieving balance in regulatory reform.

Last year, the 26th Ministerial Meeting in China adopted the APEC Strategic Blueprint for Promoting Global Value Chains Development and Cooperation as a mechanism to strengthen mutual economic cooperation within the global value chain network.

Esguerra added that they hope to hasten the process of developing innovative services within GVCs in line with the China blueprint.

The Philippines can take advantage of the recent enactment of the landmark Competition Act to boost its services value chains and attain a more productive, innovative, and competitive services sector, he said.

The Competition Act is seen to attract investments and improve economic activities in the country by prohibiting the abuse of dominant position and leveling the playing field among businesses.

Initiatives related to GVCs, along with appropriate legal instruments, will contribute to the work on structural reform, which will also be tackled in the upcoming Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting on September 7 and 8, where the services sector is one of the priorities, he said. (PNA/PCOO News Release)

Philippines urges Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation to invest in health sector

Diseases and illnesses cost the Philippines around 3 to 4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), highlighting the importance of investing in the health sector of the country and of other Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies in a bid to sustain economic development.

Peter Sheehan, research director at the Victoria Institute of Strategic Economic Studies in Australia, cited the result of a study commissioned by the APEC Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF) indicating the Philippine economic loss due to non-communicable diseases and poor mental health.

“The loss is currently about at 3-4 percent. We projected this to rise to about 6 percent by 2030, this is on the rising trajectory,” Sheehan said on the sidelines of a press briefing, noting these are just losses associated with absenteeism and presenteeism.

Health Secretary Janette P. Loreto-Garin underscored the need for member economies of APEC to promote good health in order to stimulate and sustain economic and social development.

“Good health allows citizens to reach their full productive potential, and the innovations that drive good health provide an economic return that is astounding,” she said at the opening of the 5th APEC High Level Meeting on Health and the Economy held here Sunday.

Garin also cited the results of an earlier LSIF study that showed a return of $30 to $1 for investment in innovation and innovative approaches to maternal and child health.

The health chief thus urged APEC member economies to work engage their budget and finance planners in their efforts to mitigate the social and economic effects of ill-health.

“Economic planning and finance communities look at health as a cost. I would like to posit that mental and physical well-being should be regarded as investments, without which will result in astronomical costs to governments, corporations and our citizens,” she added.

Garin believed that investing in health is critical for reducing poverty and promoting inclusive growth.

“As more people are forced to retire early because of ill-health, the economy will become less productive, social welfare budgets will be severely strained and our work to alleviate poverty will be undone rapidly as significant segments of the population are thrown back into poverty,” she noted.

For his part, DOH Undersecretary Kenneth Hartigan-Go said the Philippines is embarking on a plan to develope health facilities based on the needs of people in both rural and urban areas.

“…We got the sin tax law passed (so) there is now a quite substantive amount of money at the disposal of our health department and other government agencies to come together and develop a meaningful use of that money in order to bring better health outcome to our people,” he said.

The APEC is holding its Third Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) and Related Meetings here until Sept. 6. (PNA/PCOO News Release)

Cable news network puts BBL, peace process in the spotlight

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Malacañang welcomes end of 'Iglesia ni Cristo' protest rally

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Monday (Aug. 31) welcomed the decision of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members to end their five-day protest rally after a dialogue with the government.

Iglesia General Minister Bienvenido Santiago has issued a statement earlier, saying the dialogue had cleared up matters.

The five-day mass action was triggered by the illegal detention complaint filed by expelled minister Isaias Samson, Jr. before the Department of Justice against some members of the church council.

"Over the past few days, members of the Iglesia ni Cristo have gathered in key areas of Metro Manila. The mass action stems from their sentiments regarding a complaint filed by two of their members at the Department of Justice,” Lacierda said in a statement.

Noting that their protests involved a disagreement, Secretary Lacierda said the question is whether calmer heads would prevail to resolve the disagreement peacefully through mutual respect.

"This was an important consideration for the government: Just as it was important to protect the rights of all, ensure public safety, and minimize opportunities for sowing mayhem, we knew that a truly long-term solution involved engendering an atmosphere of dialogue, which will result in deescalating the situation that created tensions in the first place. We were resolved not to inflame passions, which could have given an opening to those with selfish agendas to further exacerbate conflict. Diplomacy therefore was an important tool in avoiding unintended consequences,” he further said.

Lacierda said the government appreciated the INC leadership for telling their members to leave their gathering sites.

“Through good will and the convergence of efforts, the rule of law has been upheld. We appreciate the INC leadership’s directives for the withdrawal of their members from their gathering sites. We are thankful that no serious injuries came about these past few days, and that the public can now prepare to go to work and to school on Tuesday (Sept. 1) as the long weekend draws to a close,” he concluded. (PCOO News Release)