CIPI conducts ISO 9001:2008 surveillance at DOST-XI

DAVAO CITY, Feb. 15 – “I believe that quality service is important to achieve a very satisfactory customer service,” said Dr. Anthony C. Sales, regional director of the Department of Science and Technology Regional Office No. XI (DOST XI).

Sales took steps to ensure that DOST-XI meets the ISO 9001:2008 requirement by implementing an effective quality management system. 

DOST XI subjected itself to the second surveillance audit under ISO 9001:2008 on February 5-6, 2013 and enrolled 21 operational processes involved under the standard. 

The surveillance audit was done by the Certification International Philippines, Inc. (CIPI) with Engr. Renato David as auditor.

The scope includes provision of packaging and labeling assistance, innovation system support, consultancy and technical services, technology training program, S&T scholarship, and S&T promotion among others. 

To continuously provide products and services to both government and private sectors in the region, DOST XI maintains ISO 9001:2008 certification. 

Through this, DOST XI can continue to function with the highest standards of quality and reliability. (DOST-XI)

Authorities to stop progressive groups from blocking the Davao-Agusan Highway

Davao City, Feb 15 (PIA)-Police and military authorities vowed to prevent progressive groups from blocking the Agusan-Davao highway again to force the Department of Social Welfare and Development to release 10,000 sacks of rice allegedly for distribution to survivors of typhoon Pablo.

Speaking in the AFP-PNP Press Corps briefing Lt. Colonel Lyndon Paniza, spokesperson of the 10th Infantry Division said that though the military respects the right of people to air their grievance through assembly, progressive groups must not abuse this right to the point of disrupting the flow of traffic and eventually disturbing the activities of the general public.

He said they will support the law enforcement effort of the Philippine National Police in the event these groups will initiate moves to again interrupt the flow of traffic just to insist on their demands.

Paniza said these groups were not able to conduct a repeat of their road blockade activity in Davao Oriental like what they did in Compostela Valley on January 15 since they were driven away by the people this time.

“Their move to dupe the people that certain benevolent politicians are coming to give away assistance just to muster more participants to the blockade no longer worked,” he said.

Paniza said that the DSWD must be cautious when giving in to the demands of the progressive groups since based on the past experiences in Bicol Region where typhoons also occurred, rotten relief goods were found in the lairs of communist rebels following encounters with soldiers.

He said it implies that the relief goods were not distributed to the actual typhoon victims.

“Being transparent and accounting of resources are processes being observed carefully by government,” Paniza said. 

Superintendent Filmore Escobal, chief of the Police Community Relations Office of the Police Regional Office XI said that appropriate charges were already filed against the leaders of the progressive groups who led the blockade. However, he clarified that the police will not take legal action against individuals who might be included in the list of recipients that will be submitted by the progressive groups as they comply with this requirement.

“It is not true that the police will sue those individuals written on their list if they have not committed a crime,” Escobal said as he stressed that the police will only charge people who commit crime.  

Escobal said leaders of progressive groups could have restrained their members from occupying the national highway since freedom of expression is allowed in a democratic society.

“It is not true that the police will sue those individuals written on their list if they have not committed a crime,” he said as he stressed that the police will only charge people who commit crime.  

Villa Vigil, assistant regional director of the DSWD XI said the coalition of progressive groups failed to comply with the list of 50,000 families whom they claimed will be benefitted from the rice distribution. She said the group met with her in February 7.

Vigil said the DSWD wants know who these 50,000 beneficiaries are since the agency has been serving 233,000 families in Davao Region since the relief effort started.

“We would like to know who they are, where will be the areas of distribution and who will pack the rice, because the clamor is that there were not able to receive any assistance from the government,” she said.

Vigil said their will stick with the conditions which the coalition of progressive organizations agreed with Corazon Soliman, secretary of the DSWD, the first time they blocked the Agusan-Davao highway.

She explained that the DSWD is also accountable to the people on the 10,000 sacks of rice worth P1.2-Million, if the rice is not given to the legitimate victims of typhoon Pablo. (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines/LAC)

DavNor Guv bats for tourism master plan

Photo courtesy of Noel Baguio (taken during
the President's visit to Davao City in July 2012)

TAGUM CITY, Feb. 11 -- Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario has urged all the municipalities and cities in the province to come up with their own tourism master plans and align it with the national government’s tourism development direction. 

“The Governor is set to issue a memorandum to all municipalities urging them to come up with their own tourism plans,” Davao del Norte Provincial Tourism Council President Araceli Ayuste said. 

Ayuste said even Samal which is already a popular area for tourism, does not have a tourism master plan. Tagum City also does not have a tourism master plan. She said almost all cities and municipalities in the province do not have a tourism plan except perhaps Kapalong. 

It is only now that Samal and the different municipalities in the province have seriously considered the crafting of a tourism plan, Ayuste said. 

Del Rosario admitted that years ago, they were only interested in promoting Samal as a tourist destination and did not consider promoting tourism in the mainland. 

“But with the new administration (referring to the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III), we realized that the only direction to follow when it comes to tourism is where the national government is heading,” he said. 

President Aquino’s administration has really been pushing for tourism by providing more funding for infrastructure development, he said. We are now trying to reorganize and reinvigorate the tourism council and make it more active, he added. 

Department of Tourism XI Regional Director Art Boncato recently presented the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) to the Provincial Tourism stakeholders in response to Del Rosario’s call for the reinvigoration of the tourism industry starting with the adoption of the three strategic directions of the NTDP. 

Boncato said the development of the country’s tourism is anchored on three strategies namely the development and marketing of competitive products and destinations, improving market access, connectivity and destination infrastructure as well as improvement of tourism institutional governance and human resources.(RGA/LAC/PIA XI) 

Duterte welcomes approval of CCTV Camera Ordinance

Photo courtesy of Keith Bacongco

DAVAO CITY, Feb 11 (PIA)-- Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte welcomed the approval of the local ordinance requiring business establishments with a capital outlay of P3-million to set up closed-circuit television cameras in there respective establishment to deter and to monitor the occurrence of criminal incidents. 

Speaking in the public affair program, “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa,” the Mayor said business owners must install high-quality CCTV cameras that can grab clear images of people and the inner and out perimeter of the establishments with corresponding security guards who can respond to imminent threat. 

He stressed that it is useless if business operators would only set up CCTV cameras only as deterrence. 

Duterte also disagreed on requiring authorities clearance from the business administration before they can see or get hold of the recording in their investigation. 

“It is an exercise in futility,” he pointed out. 

Duterte said that CCTV cameras must be installed in areas where they can see the faces of possible suspects who might use baseball caps to cover their faces. 

He said that in bigger establishment like malls, series of CCTV cameras must be installed with the corresponding monitor and a group of armed of security guards who can react with force in parity with the armed criminals. 

“Incidentally, security guards are oriented to deter people from stealing or to add a sense of security, and are not ready to shoot- it- out with hell-vent criminals,” Duterte said. 

He said a competent person must be assigned to monitor the scenes so that he can call the police immediately whenever a crime is in progress. 

Duterte said if business operators cannot put up with these suggestions, they would rather not buy and install CCTV cameras. 

Senior Superintendent Ronald de la Rosa, director of the Davao City Police Office said the local ordinance is a big boost to their anti-criminality campaign. 

He said the motion picture from the CCTV camera will be used as additional data in a criminal investigation. 

The Davao City CCTV Ordinance which was passed into law on its third and final reading last December 4, 2012 requires compliance from banks, pawnshops, restaurants, malls, hospital and other medical institutions, gaming cocpits, private transportation terminals operating on land, air and sea and within the city and applies to all profit and non-profit business enterprise including schools. 

It also imposes a maximum penalty at P5,000 for non-compliance. (RGA/JSD/PIA XI) 

190 temporary shelters for New Bataan eyed by March 2013

TAGUM CITY, Feb. 8 --Typhoon-displaced residents of New Bataan will soon have 190 new temporary shelters from the provincial government and the Pineda Foundation. 

“We are starting the construction of the transition houses for displaced residents in the municipality,” New Bataan Mayor Lorenzo Balbin, Jr. said during the Kapihan press conference at the Philippine Information Agency, Friday. 

Balbin said the provincial government through Governor Arturo Uy is targeting the construction of up to 300 temporary shelters and it hopes to complete the construction of 70 shelters by this month. 

The Pineda Foundation, he said, is also eyeing the completion of the construction of up to 120 temporary shelters for New Bataan by next month, bringing the total number of temporary shelters completed by next month to 190. 

“The temporary shelters are sturdy because the roofing is made of G.I. sheets,” Balbin said. The houses, with a dimension of 5x4, will measure 20 square meters each, he added. 

He said these are row houses with eight rooms for each row. He said they are also expecting temporary structures from other donors like Holcim. 

However, he said, the long term plan is to buy lots and build permanent shelters for the residents. The temporary shelters will then be used as evacuation centers, he added. 

Balbin also clarified that the location of the temporary shelters are safe areas and not hazardous areas.(lovely a. carillo/PIA XI) 

Police call for a stop to rebel atrocities

DAVAO CITY, Feb 8 (PIA)--The Police Regional Office is set to spearhead a human rights rally at the Freedom Park Saturday as part of its campaign to put a stop to all violent incidents perpetrated by the communist rebels. 

Superintendent Filmore Escobal, chief of the community relations of the Davao Region Police Regional Office, said the rally will push for the release of two government personnel abducted by the New People’s Army in Laak, Compostela Valley, stop the use of improvised landmines against soldiers and demand the free flow of humanitarian assistance in areas affected by typhoon Pablo. 

He said the rally will serve as a response to the series of violent incidents perpetrated by the rebels and their front organizations in the abduction of a soldier and a policeman, and the barricading of the national highway. 

“Government personnel and ordinary people have human rights too which ought to be respected,” Escobal said. 

He said that as advocates of human rights, soldiers and military have more punitive action against the violators within their ranks since they can be dismissed from service out of any rights violation. 

Escobal said no rebel has been kicked out from the movement because of human rights violation. 

“We demand for the immediate release of P01 Ruel Pasion and PFC Jezreel Culango who remain in the hands of their abductors. They also have rights,” he said. 

He said participants of the rally will assemble before the San Pedro Cathedral and will march towards the monument of the Second World War Veterans at Roxas Avenue. 

Escobal assured full participation of up to 300 police personnel. He said participants from other line-government agencies are also expected to join. (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines/LAC)) 

More ODA commitments for Mindanao eyed

DAVAO CITY, Feb. 8 --Mindanao has now been placed in the radar of foreign countries extending Official Development Assistance (ODA) after it hosted the 2013 Philippines Development Forum (PDF) which was attended by development workers and ODA providers. 

“This is the beauty of holding the conference here because the ODA partners now get a feel of Mindanao,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said. 

While the stock of ODA commitments now is the result of processes prior to the Conference, he said, that will definitely change hopefully in favor of Mindanao which was given a special session during the PDF. 

But it was not just Mindanao which was discussed, he said, since the main agenda was the social contract of President Benigno S. Aquino III to the people. The Conference included other pressing issues like governance, economy and climate change. 

“The donor partner financing is very small and is less than five percent,” World Bank Country Director Motoo Konishi said. However, he added, the goal of the ODA is not money but the sharing and transfer of knowledge to the Philippines. 

As provided under Republic Act 8182 or the ODA Act of 1996, the ODA loan is granted to the Philippines to “promote sustainable social and economic development and welfare.” 

“The purpose of the Forum is to let the bilateral partners know the priorities and directions the government is pursuing,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said. 

Instead of our development partners going their own ways, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Soliman said, “there is a more cohesive approach to our partnership in the next three years.”(lovely a. carillo)