Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Tag: NorMin

22K NorMin kids freed from child labor: DOLE

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The Department of Labor and Employment in Northern Mindanao (DOLE-10) has freed 22,876 children from child labor in the last five years.

DOLE-10 Director Albert Gutib said during the Advocacy and Communications Committee (AdCom) meeting last November 15 that the cumulative figure was based on their 2018-2022 data.

“The region has the highest recorded child labor cases (in the Philippines), with 68,195 (from 2018-2022),” he said in the assembly organized by the Regional Development Council-10.

This year alone, Gutib said the agency recorded 20,335 cases of child labor, 11,208 of which resulted in the victims’ freedom.

Gutib underscored the importance of Information Education Campaigns (EDCs) in curbing cases of child labor, even as he urged AdCom to support “DOLEkula,” a film targeted for schools and communities.

Meanwhile, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division also suggested a collaboration with DOLE-10 as it proposed the screening of the Philippine Army-produced documentaries about children recruited in communist rebellion.

DOLE-10, with the help of local government units, has earlier initiated programs aimed at reducing child labor cases.

In September this year, 14 parents of child laborers of Barangay Sebucal, in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental, received their livelihood starter kits amounting to PHP189,000 from DOLE-10.

DOLE Misamis Occidental chief Ebba Acosta said the assistance to parents of child laborers is a strategic response to prevent and eliminate child labor.

She said parents of child laborers are among the priority beneficiaries of DOLE’s Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program. (Nef Luczon/PNA)

Iligan, 3 NorMin provinces placed under Alert Level 3

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Jan. 14/PNA) – The City of Iligan and three other provinces in Northern Mindanao Region on Friday were placed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) under Alert Level 3.

Under IATF Resolution 157-A, Acting Spokesperson Karlo Alexei Nograles announced in the online briefer that the provinces of Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, and Oriental will be placed on Alert Level 3 starting January 16 until January 31, 2022.

Earlier, Nograles announced that this city will be placed on the same Alert Level 3 beginning January 14 up to the end of this month.

Alert Level 2 was recommended to the provinces of Camiguin and Lanao del Norte.

City Mayor Oscar Moreno, said in the online briefer, that the high vaccination rate may play a crucial role in potentially increasing the indoor capacity of some venues in the city by 10 to 20 percent from the standard 30 percent stated in the alert level system guidelines set by the national government.

“There’s a proposal by the Department of Trade and Industry to increase indoor capacity (by 10 to 20 percent) on local governments under Alert Level 3 provided that they have a high vaccination rate for seniors (A2) and A3 (persons with comorbidities) and that the establishments secured a safety seal from the local government (certifying their compliance to health protocols),” he said.

Moreno said this after Cagayan de Oro City was placed along with some local governments in the country under Alert Level 3 from January 14 until this month’s end.

Moreno said the higher a local government’s vaccination rate, for seniors and the A3 priority list, the more liberal the government becomes in enforcing the guidelines.

“The safety seal certificate issued by the local government mandates businesses and offices to comply with health safety protocol. The alert level system is one way by the government (to encourage people to get vaccinated),” he said.

No restrictions

Meanwhile, Department of the Interior and Local Government -Northern Mindanao (DILG-10) Director Arnel Agabe said on Thursday’s briefer that there will be no restrictions for interzonal and intrazonal travel in the city despite its Alert Level 3 status.

Guidelines for inbound travelers to Cagayan de Oro under the said alert level status were also reiterated during the press briefer, as Agabe cited IATF Resolution No. 154-C.

He said should local government units (LGUs) deem it necessary to impose additional quarantine and isolation measures for returning passengers from airports and seaports, they can do so.

He said no restrictions have been put in place by local authorities regarding the movement of unvaccinated individuals.

When asked about the possibility of a “no vax, no ride” policy being implemented in this city, Agabe said it would be the discretion of the LGU to implement such.

“A private establishment may also exercise their right to bar entry of unvaccinated individuals,” he added.

Agri NorMin research stations break ground for construction of poultry houses

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Two research stations of the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) are now set for the construction of poultry houses with a total worth of P1.875 million in Bukidnon province.

On May 3, a series of the groundbreaking ceremony was held for Malaybalay Stock Farm (P1.25-M) in Dalwangan, Malaybalay City, and the Regional Center for Upland Development (P625,000.00) in Dangcagan town.

DA Undersecretary for Regulations and Infrastructure Engr. Zamzamin L. Ampatuan and DA-10 Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado led the said events.

As the department is pushing for infrastructure development towards a more industrialized and modernized farming industry, USec Ampatuan relayed, that the construction of these projects will be a huge contribution to poultry farmers’ productivity and profitability.

RED Collado noted, that said units will give a great boost in the supply of poultry stocks, extending more help to farmers regionwide thru production in the centers.

Fund source for said buildings were pooled from the Regional Livestock Program under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) otherwise known as Republic Act 11494, a law created to provide COVID-19 response and recovery interventions.

Popcom links family planning to poverty reduction in NorMin

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (11 May 2021) – The Commission on Population and Development in Region 10 (Popcom 10) said the government’s intensified family planning (FP) services for women and couples have helped reduce the number of poor families in some Northern Mindanao provinces.

In a statement on May 11, Popcom-10 cited data from the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) showing poverty incidence among families in Bukidnon “drastically dropped” to more than half from 47 percent in 2015 to 22.2 percent in 2018.

Popcom-10 noted that data also showed the poverty incidence among the population decreased from 53.6 percent in 2015 to 27.5 percent in the same year.

In the same period, the agency said figures from the Popcom’s Field Health Service Information System (FHSIS) showed a “leaps and bounds increase” in modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) in the area from 48.8 percent in 2016 to 63.5 percent in 2018.

“With many couples able to prevent unplanned pregnancies, they are also able to provide for the need of their children and increase savings for other investments,” it said.

The FHSIS data also showed the mCPR in Misamis Oriental province increasing to 87.6 percent in 2019 from 84.7 percent in 2016.

Since then, the poverty incidence among the population declined to 20.7 percent in 2018 from 23.4 percent in 2012. This translated to an estimated 100,000 people lifted from poverty, based on average data from Popcom-10 and PSA.

In March this year, the two provinces signed a partnership agreement with Popcom-10 for the full localization of the Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP).

PPMP acknowledges the devolved powers of the local government units (LGUs), where poverty and population problems are best resolved, Popcom-10 said.

The agreement carries with it a grant of PHP1 million for both provinces, to be used to implement the three program components of PPMP such as responsible parenthood and family planning (RPFP), adolescent health and development (AHD), and the population and development (PopDev) integration.

Popcom-10 Director Neil Aldrin G. Omega underscored the importance of implementing the population program to reap “social and economic benefits.”

“Understanding the interrelationship of population and development would enable LGUs to design development interventions that would benefit its people,” Omega said.

Along with the financial grant, Popcom-10 also provides technical assistance to LGUs in the areas of capacity building and family planning outreach activities in geographically isolated and displaced areas.

Hospital prepares 141 Soldiers in NorMin to Handle COVID-9 patients

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MALAYBALAY CITY (April 3) – Personnel of Bukidnon Provincial Medical Center (BPMC) gave soldiers belonging to Army’s 403rd Brigade a 1-Day theory and practical on handling coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients inside Camp Osito D. Bahian based in the City last April 1 to 2.

Capt. Rene Belmonte, civil-military operations officer of 403rd Brigade in a statement, said soldiers were trained in 2 batches.

He said the 1st batch is composed of 61 soldier students last April 1, and another 80 have completed the orientation training the following day.

Ms. Marlah Samson, Health Emergency Staff Operations Officer of BPMC, said: “It is important that our soldiers learn the protocol and proper procedure especially those involved in patient transfer and those that are in the frontlines.”

The training entitled “Orientation on the Emerging Disease COVID-19: Donning and Doffing of PPE with Transport Simulation” involves half-day theory and a half-day practical at BPMC COVID19 Facility Infection Control Unit.

“During this pandemic on worst-case scenario wherein a lot of our healthcare workers were also infected by the virus, our soldiers must be prepared to reinforce us (health workers), especially on the transport of patients and other health works in healthcare facilities” Samson added.

Col. Ferdinand Barandon, Commander of 403rd Brigade covering Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, and Cagayan de Oro City, thanked BPMC.

He said, “As soldiers, we train to win a war. We thank the BPMC for this initiative of training our soldiers on our worldwide battle against COVID19. This training will protect our soldiers as we continue to protect our people”.

Samson further said, “During our practical, our soldiers were able to transport and properly endorse mock patients to receiving hospital units. It was successful orientation training for our soldiers. We extend our heartfelt thanks as health workers to the 403Bde leadership and our students. God will help us with our battle against COVID19.”

Soldiers who attended the -2-day activity came from the Headquarters of the 403rd Brigade and the five battalions composed of 58th IB based in the Eastern part of Misamis Oriental, 65th IB based in the hinterland of Cagayan de Oro City, 1st Special Forces Battalion, 8th IB based in Impasug-ong, Bukidnon, and 88IB based in Maramag, Bukidnon.

Malaybalay is placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), while the entire province of Bukidnon is under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) and the State of Calamity.