DSWD-ARMM launches media tour in Lanao for 2Ps program-by MARIZ REVALES and RIC CLET

Cotabato City –More than thirteen media personalities from Cotabato and Iligan cities launched an   educational media tour sponsored  by the Department of Social Welfare and Administration of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM)led by its Regional Information Officer (PIO) Ghilmar Lao in the towns of Bumbaran and Wao, both in Lanao del Sur recently. DSWD Regional Acting Secretary Hadja Pombaen karon Kader and Pam Susara of the National Project Management Office and Public Relation Officer of the Pantawid Pamilya program were also present. Kader in her speech at Somogot Elementary School, she challenged the pupils to study hard as they were monitored by their teachers in their attendance as one of the conditions.  " We were also monitored by media in our implementation of the program, so study hard and don't absent in your classes and this should be understood by parents and health workers", Kader said. She also expressed gratitude to Bumbaran Mayor Mastura Manabilang and vice Mayor James Manabilang for their full support to the program and expects that they will campaign to other Local government units (LGU) to do the same. Kader disclosed that the two million family beneficiary came from Patikul, Sulu in the ARMM and they presented them to President President Benigno Aquino in Malacanang recently. Vice Mayor Manabilang in his part, said to the pupils, "libre ang mangarap, mag aral kayong mabuti upang makaahon tayo sa kahirapan". Bumbaran has more than 821 family beneficiaries in all 17 barangays. Mayor Manabilang also expressed his gratitude to the DSWD for the program that will help uplift the condition of their lives. In Wao, 2Ps was also implemented and was supported by the LGU under Mayor Elvino Balicao, Jr. Balicao said in an interview with reporters that all 36 barangays were benefited by the program. He said that the beneficiary families were qualified. "I am very grateful to the DSWD for implementing the program in my town and this will change the lives of the resident here, and to the media for visiting our place, Balicao said. Media witnessed several programs in connection to 2Ps in the two towns in Lanao del Sur .The media  educational tour ended up by conducting interviews with residents in Barangay Manila group, Wao, which has the same messages of gratitude, appreciation and contentment to the program and to DSWD officials and to President Aquino. Susara in an early interview attributes the hunger incidence decline to the conditional cash transfer known as Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program now Pantawid Pamilya (2Ps) implemented by DSWD, a program that will free households out from poverty. Susara disclosed with the positive impact of the CCT, DSWD will be benefited the largest budgetary increase in 2012 to53.6 billion. "This would allow DSWD to support more families and President Benigno Aquino III ordered the department  this year 2011 to add 1.3 million more household beneficiaries to the program", said Susara, head of social marketing  unit of Pantawid Pamilya Program. She added that by this year, DSWD have covered one million beneficiaries. She said that they are targeting 2.3 million (household) beneficiaries in which  number two million household beneficiary, the family of  Sharon Hassan Dabblang was presented to President Aquino at Malacanang recently with Acting Regional Secretary Kader. The family came from Patikul, Sulu. "The program is actually an investment in the human capital for the children's health, nutrition, education.. In terms of poverty reduction, kung dati   hindi sila kumakain, ngayon malaking tulong ito sa kanila",Susara said. The biggest number of beneficiaries are in Mindanao where poverty incidence is higher than the rest of the country, particularly in ARMM also in regions 9,8,5 and 10. Beneficiaries receive cash grants of P6,000 a year and P3,000 for one  school year. The 2Ps is coupled with other poverty reduction programs to ensure its sustainability.

Mindanao civil groups launch peace talk watch- by Rose Uro,interaksyon.com

Mindanao civil society groups have strengthened their monitoring  of the peace process by launching the Peace Talks Watch. Last Monday, as the peace negotiation panels of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) convened for their 22nd exploratory talks ,monitoring billboards will be set up in strategic locations in Iligan, Cotabato and Davao cities. According to Abdul Malik Cleofe of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC),the billboards will be marked "365"  Days Countdown to peace" and will contain major updates from the negotiations. The one –year timeframe is in keeping with the optimistic  estimate of both panels within  which they can hammer a political settlement, said Cleofe. Juanito Enriquez, managing director of the Civil Society organizations Forum for Peace (CSOFP),said that peace talks watch is one way of formally rendering  the government and MILF negotiators that the people are interested in seeing a definite conclusion to negotiations. "Let us see the end of talks and the beginning of implementing the measures necessary to empower the Moro people and reverse historical injustice", stressed Enriquez. "We are highly confident  in the capacity of both panels  to see the process through these aims", he added. A day before e last April's talks, civil society groups from key cities of Mindanao held a peace caravan as a symbolic send-off of the panels. The talks  on June 27 to 28 in Kuala Lumpur is the fourth  under Aquino administration-three formal meeting  every two months since February, and one formal meeting on January. On Monday , the government panel is slated  to present  its counter –proposal to the draft peace pact submitted to tit by the MILF last February. A working draft of a comprehensive compact is expected to be drawn from both proposals. In    Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday, chief government Marvic Leonen said the solution to the Bangsamoro question must" remain principled, yet pragmatic" "We will reach out t o the MILF without conceding or surrendering our ideals. We hope that they will take that hand that is out to them so we can leapfrog the process and enter into an  agreement soon", Leonen said, Leonen held a briefing on the peace process to 85 battalion commanders of the Philippine Army in Mindanao at Camp Evangelista where they gathered to discuss about the internal peace and security plan of the Armed Forces. "let us move forward by seeing the larger picture (of the Bangsamoro problem),moving together in small political steps to find reasonable solutions to longstanding problems," he said. There is one aspiration that within the year, we will try to put everything in place to give primacy to the peace process," he added

DENR awards 9 government agencies for eco-friendly- Mariz Revales

DENR awards 9 government agencies for being eco-friendly by: Mariz Revales Nine national government agencies were cited for their eco-friendly operations as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) last (June 29) handed out the first ever 2011 Recognition Awards for Eco-friendly Government Offices at the national level. Earning the highest honors with the Environmental Excellence Awards were the National Electrification Administration and the Philippine Heart Center, both inQuezon City, and the Development Bank of the Philippines in Makati City. Six other participating offices were also given Citation of Merit Awards. These were the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority along Roxas Boulevard in Manila; the Department of Public Works and Highways, also in Manila; the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the National Housing Authority, both in Quezon City; and the National Economic and Development Authority in Pasig City. DENR Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio, together with Civil Service Assistant Commissioner Rogelio Limare and Environmental Management Bureau Director Juan Miguel Cuna, handed the awards in simple ceremonies held at the Sulo Riviera Hotel in Quezon City. DENR Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje said, in a speech read by Undersecretary Ignacio, that the awards underscored the serious commitment needed to adopt and sustain eco-friendly practices in the workplace, which serve as a "second home" to many Filipinos, and where materials utilized, equipment used and energy consumed all have an impact on the environment. Paje also stressed that government offices at the national level should lead the bureaucracy in environmental protection and conservation. "If our various stakeholders see how we work hard to improve our services and our environmental performance, we can be assured of their full trust and support to address the bigger problems of the country," he said. The nine awardees were evaluated based on the following criteria: 80% for implementing environment-friendly office operations, particularly in waste management, electricity, water and fuel conservation, air pollution prevention, emergency preparedness, green procurement and greening; 10% for institutionalizing environmental management policies; and 10% for overall orderliness, cleanliness and safety in the office premises. They were assessed by five audit teams formed in March 2011 by the DENR's Environmental Management Bureau, which reviewed the participating offices' documents as well as conducted on-site inspection and validation. The agencies were evaluated for a minimum of one year, from May 2010 to May 2011. Many of those assessed, however, were found to have been implementing - and sustaining - their own environmental programs even earlier than the required period.  The search for the Eco-friendly Government Offices was launched in April 22, 2010 during the Earth Day celebration at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Its objective is to assess the implementation of environmental management programs in government agencies and government-owned and controlled offices within Metro Manila and at the national level, using the 4 P's: Policy, Promotion of Awareness, People, and Practices. The next Recognition Awards is set in 2014.

Siblings with top honors believe 'education' is the key in shaping a brighter future

by Gilmhar A. Lao JOLO, SULU- "Poverty is the worst form of violence," said Mahatma Gandhi. In fact, it is still the foremost crisis of our time especially in developing countries like ours. The most common scenario can be seen in most of the rural areas of the countryside such as the communities located within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. With the national government's implementation of its Conditional Cash Transfer  program commonly known as Pantawid Pamilya that provides cash grants to extremely poor households to allow them to meet certain human development goals through compliance with their co-responsibilities in health, parenting, and most especially education, it is therefore instill in the consciousness of our fellow men that education is the most effective tool to break free from the chains of poverty. Where, such efforts will help achieve a better future for the disadvantaged children who never before thought they could realize their dreams of becoming a doctor, an engineer, or a lawyer. The Challenge... For a far-flung community like Jolo, which residents are predominantly Tausug tribe, is known in most parts of the world because of its notoriety brought about by never-ending occurrence of violent activities (such as series of bombings and kidnappings involving both local and foreign personalities) perpetrated by some lawless armed groups. Jolo could be a bustling town of Sulu being its capital town and is the center of commerce and trade. Of its total population, 90% are Muslims, while the remaining 10% are Christians. Jolo has eight (8) barangays to include, Asturias, Bus-Bus, Chinese Pier, San Raymundo, Tulay, Takut-Takut, Alat, and Walled City. Being stucked with this decade old scenario, it is therefore a challenge for the Pantawid Pamilya to fully implement the program. This is through addressing such challenge as we give focus and emphasis in the childhood education and care, that it must be holistic and integrated to ensure the survival, growth and development of these young children. In fact, more attention should be paid to these children especially in difficult and emergent situations. Keeping the faith... Nelson Mandela once said that, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." But statistics from the Department of Education (DepEd) reveals the conditions of many poor students where only 65% of pupils reach sixth grade in the elementary level while only 61% gets a high school diploma in the secondary level.  As for the siblings, Brayanzar Tiblan, 12, and Margina Tiblan, 11, of Brgy. Alat, Jolo, whom throughout the years were consistently competitive top honor students of Cerilo Bueno Elementary School in Jolo, strongly believes that basic education should become an education for everybody regardless of social and economic background. Brayanzar, whom Graduated First Honors with his batch last March during the SY 2010-2011, has also received major school academic awards (as shown in photo above). On the other hand, Margina who is in the 5th grade of the same school, likewise excel academically for she was the class' consistent top honor student finishing her subjects with fyling colors. Brayanzar narrated it wasn't an easy job achieving the coveted top honors. With the economical status of their family, he said, he really finds a hard time of sustaining high marks in school. "Mahirap.... Mahirap po talaga... Hiwalay po kasi ang magulang namin, tapos nakikitira lang kami kay Lola, siya po yung tumutulong sa amin," he said. Brayanzar claimed his parents had separated five (5) years ago, and that as a kid, he considers the incident as the most tormenting point that their family has undergone so far. He said his father works as a public jeepney driver, and his mother Nuraina, was just a plain housewife where sometimes accepts laundry service. It was their Lola who adopted the family since they does not have a descent place to live in and supports the three (3) children (the youngest also goes with the same school) with its small sari-sari store. Due to this never ending daily scenarios, Brayanzar and Margina always dreamt of achieving their dreams. As a little kid, Brayanzar dreamt of becoming a doctor while Margina on the other hand, wants to become a Teacher. However, Brayanzar thought one day, how could they attain the vision of fully realizing their dreams with their current economical situation? They receive no assistance during  those days and his father could not even afford to support their needs in school since he went to his other family. "Nahirapan po talaga kami noong mga panahong iyon... Sabi ko kay Papa, balang araw magkakaroon rin kami ng sariling bahay kahit iniwan niya kami," he said with teary eyes. Nearby, his mother Nuraina was just listening during the interview and we notice there were tears falling from her eyes... "Kayamanan ko talaga ang mga anak ko, mapalad ako na nagkaroon ng mga anak na tulad nila," she said. " Kaya naman kami ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa tulong na ibinigay ng Pantawid Pamilya. Dahil sa Cash Grant, natustusan namin ang pangangailangan sa pag-aaral ng mga bata kasama na rito ang mga gamit nila sa pag-aaral," she added. The family receives a monthly cash grant of P1,100 program package which supported the schooling of Brayanzar and Margina. Elnora A. Elam, Cerilo Bueno School Principal, attested on how these students were attentive in school responsibilities. "I believe Leadership is innate in Brayanzar. He excels in what he anything does, same with Margina," she said. On the other hand, Carmel Dedoro, Branyanzar's Class Adviser, revealed he was a responsible student. "Hindi yan umaabsent... Kahit may sakit, papasok... Kahit walang baon, papasok pa rin kaya hanga ako sa batang iyan... Kaya nga natuwa kami nung nasusuportahan na siya ng Pantawid Pamilya," Ma'am Carmel said. Further, Brayanzar has expressed his deepest thanks to the national leadership most especially to President Benigno Aquino III. "Marami pong salamat kay Pangulong Noynoy sa patuloy na pagsuporta sa programang Pantawid Pamilya. Akala ko po noong una napakalayo namin para tumanggap ng tulong pero ginawa niyo po itong posible. Alay ko po sa inyo ang natanggap kong karangalan kasabay ng minimithi naming pagbabago dito sa ARMM," he said. In fact, Brayanzar is just so lucky. Due to his academic achievement, he currently enjoys a full scholarship program at the Mindanao State University where he is enrolled as a freshman student.(GILMHAR A. LAO, Regional Information Officer, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, DSWD-ARMM