Monday, March 31, 2025

Tag: northern mindanao

NEDA secures P12.7-B development plan for NorMin airports

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The National Economic and Development Authority in Northern Mindanao (NEDA-10) will have a PHP12.7-billion budget for improving its airports, an official said last July 27

In a statement, NEDA-10 director Myla Faye Aurora Cariño said the approval of the amount would spur economic growth in the region, particularly in Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental.

Currently, the region has three functioning airports, with one still under construction in Don Carlos town, Bukidnon province.

She said the expansion intends to handle a greater volume of domestic and international flights in the region for its transformation into a prominent e-commerce hub in Mindanao.

The budget for airport improvement forms part of the Regional Development Plan (RDP) 2023–2028.

The RDP was presented at the Trade Facilitation Cluster of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area held in this city from July 25-26.

Local planners were also called upon to generate support for the RDP 2023–2028 Provincial and Highly Urbanized City Roadshows, which aims to promote the region’s comprehensive development agenda and engage stakeholders in the collaborative pursuit of sustainable and inclusive growth.

Misamis Oriental Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano (2nd District) already proposed a bill seeking to transform Laguindingan Airport into an international airport facility. (PNA)

Cadaver of slain top NPA leader in Northern Mindanao now with family

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Military and police officials handed over the remains of the slain top communist rebel leader, Dionisio Micabalo, to his family last July 29, 2023, in a small courtyard outside a funeral parlor in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental

Brigadier General Adonis Ariel Orio, commanding officer of the Philippine Army’s 402nd Infantry Brigade, said the cadaver of Micabalo, alias “Muling,” was turned over to his siblings, Ronelo and Fely, who came to Gingoog City, along with officials from Dangcagan municipality in Bukidnon, to fetch his corpse.

Orio said the 61-year-old New People’s Army (NPA) leader hailed from Dangcagan town, and his family wanted him to be buried there.

“There was no hassle. As soon as the PNP (Philippine National Police) and my soldiers ascertained their identities, his remains were turned over to the family,” Orio said.

Micabalo, who was secretary general of the NPA North Central Mindanao Regional Committee, was killed during a brief firefight with soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Libertad, Gingoog City, last July 27.

Colonel Christian Uy, 58th Infantry Battalion commander, said they have been tracking the movements of Micabalo after he transferred to Gingoog City from Mt. Pantaron range in Bukidnon, where the latter was previously based.

Orio said that with Micabalo gone, a young rebel leader named “Kumander Rida,” a former student from Cagayan de Oro City is expected to become the next secretary general of the NPA North Central Mindanao Regional Committee.

During his second State of the Nation Address on July 24, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will issue a proclamation granting amnesty to rebel returnees. He asked Congress for support on this matter.

But Marco Valbuena, Communist Party of the Philippines information officer, rejected the offer of Marcos, calling it “a treacherous offer of amnesty and surrender.” (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)

PH’s 11th ‘Rescue MARCH’ challenge held in Malaybalay

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MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon – Marking the 11th Rescue MARCH in the country, 56 rescue teams from all over northern Mindanao converged here on July 31 to cap the National Disaster Resilience Month observance

Rescue MARCH, which stands for Mass Assembly for Rescue and Care for Humanity, is a simulation exercise designed to train the responders to a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that would render access to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, including communications, impossible.

Over 600 participants marched almost seven kilometers from Mt. Moriah Camp, the staging area, to the Capitol Grounds, the “ground zero” simulation area where their teams did rescue operations. These teams were assessed on their capabilities in responding to specific scenarios, testing their endurance and camaraderie at ground zero.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-10 Assistant Regional Director Gilbert Conde reminded the participants that there are no perfect responses to emergencies or disasters, but he hoped such exercises would continue.

“Nakita namo nga naay need nga training nga pagabuhaton. Ang kulang nato is ang venue nga ing-ani nga mag-practice. We will continue training ourselves and our LGUs for us to attain a resilient northern Mindanao [We saw the need to conduct training like this. What we need is a venue like this to practice. We will continue training ourselves and our LGUs for us to attain a resilient Northern Mindanao],” Conde said.

For his part, Martin T. Aguda Jr. of the National Organizing Committee for Rescue MARCH said the Northern Mindanao responders are almost there in terms of being resilient, as he observed that even at the staging area.

“Despite the limited resources, everything was utilized and brought to the simulation area as if they were in a real situation, responding to ground zero,” Aguda said.

On the other hand, Bukidnon Governor Rogelio Neil Roque explained that natural disasters are certain to happen since nobody can control nature. He, however, emphasized that all must prepare for how to act when natural disasters come.

The Rescue MARCH Northern Mindanao Challenge 2023 was the 11th held in the country. (DCC/PIA-10)

Damulog farmers to benefit corn seeds, fertilizers from Agri-10

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Targeted to ease farmers’ brunt on the increasing costs of farm inputs, the Department of Agriculture – Northern Mindanao (DA-10), headed by Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado, turned over seeds and fertilizers to 16 farmers’ cooperatives, associations (FCAs), at the Municipal Gymnasium, Poblacion, Damulog, Bukidnon

Funded by the Corn program, the roster of interventions conferred by the agri department is composed of 625 bags of hybrid corn seed (9 kilograms per bag) complemented with 625 bags of complete fertilizer (50 kgs/bag), which are targeted for distribution to select FCA members who are enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).

Facilitated by the agri office of said municipality, the turnover was graced by DA-10 Provincial Operations Center chief of Bukidnon, Janet D. Lopez, DVM, Mayor Melino L. Burro, Councilor Ronald Virtudazo, committee on agriculture, and Herberto L. Tan, MAO officer-in-charge. (DA RFO-10)

RDRRMC-10 holds DRRM workshop for media, bloggers

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Highlighting the significance of the media in calamity reporting, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Council (RDRRMC)-10, spearheaded by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), held its one-day training on Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation (DRRM) reporting for media and bloggers at the De Luxe Hotel, July 21

Attended by various media outlets in print, radio, and online, the workshop tackled topics in Weather reporting, the basics of Earthquakes and Landslides, and Health protocols discussed by representatives of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services Agency, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)-10, and the Department of Health (DOH)-10, respectively.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-10 Regional Director Antonio B. Sugarol rallied the media to work together to bring disaster resilience to the general public as part of efforts to bridge the gap among stakeholders towards disaster mitigation and response.

“We have this type of activity to maximize our friends in the broadcast and print media as the mouthpiece in bringing to the masses what we are doing regarding DRRM; it requires the participation of our communities in the whole of nation approach towards disaster resilience,” he said.

One of the participants, CDO Dev Blogger Tom Udasco, thanked the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-10 for providing an opportunity for capacitating the media in DRRM knowledge towards a secure and resilient Northern Mindanao. (VPSB/PIA-10)

Solon distributes P1-B agri projects in N. Mindanao

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Senator Imee Marcos led on July 20, 2023, the distribution and launch of Php1 billion worth of agriculture projects for farmers in the Northern Mindanao Region

During her visit, Marcos said Misamis Oriental will receive PHP522.8 million worth of projects, and an initial PHP82.7 million for the local government here, as part of the “OneDA” program under the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“I am hopeful that these different projects involve the interventions of additional planting materials, semen straws, and chicken multiplier farms,” she said.

Marcos said the funding could be used in swine clustering, forage seeds, rabbits, provision of chicken supplies, and the putting up small village-type feed mills.

The National Irrigation Authority in Northern Mindanao (NIA-10) will get PHP478 million, of which PHP133 million will go to irrigation development projects.

The funding will also be an allotment for repairing and restoring communal and national irrigation systems and service roads toward national irrigation systems.

DA-10 Executive Director Carlene Collado said the city would have as much as PHP118.3 million on top of what Marcos had earlier committed.

“We will be handling the certificate of turnovers for our current budget for this year,” he said, adding the projects will be given to the different farmer cooperatives and associations.

Lilian Antigua, a OneDA beneficiary, said the programs improve their living conditions and the distribution of their produce to a broader market.

“We can now have a place to place our produce and sell them through ‘Kadiwa’ (program), and through that, we were able to sell it in many places,” she said in the vernacular.

Marcos also attended several turnover projects and a graduation ceremony for senior high school graduates of the Asian Business Cabletow Cooperative Academy. (PNA)

41 awarded, recognized by DENR-10

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The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Region 10 recognizes various stakeholders and partners during the Culmination Program of the Environment Month Celebration on June 30, 2023, held at DENR 10 covered court Puntod, Cagayan de Oro City

DENR officials, employees, and partner stakeholders are welcomed by the Regional Executive Director (RED) Henry A. Adornado. Hon. Rufus B. Rodriquez the 2nd district Representative of Cagayan de Oro City, shared his accomplishments and encouraged the DENR 10 to continue the efforts in protecting the environment and natural resources of the region.

As partners in the protection and conservation of the environment and implementation of various DENR programs, projects, and activities, a total of 41 stakeholders and partners including several national government agencies, civil society organizations/non-governmental organizations, academe, and other individuals were awarded and recognized by the DENR 10, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 10 and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 10, led by RED Henry A. Adornado, Assistant Regional Director (ARD) for Management Services Ma. Theresa J. Allen, Regional Director (RD) Reynaldo S. Digamo, and RD Felizardo A. Gacad Jr.

A signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DENR 10 and Central Mindanao University (CMU), Mindanao State University(MSU) Nawaan, MSU-Marawi, and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan for internship programs was also conducted. Interns from these Universities are allowed to perform their on-the-job training/practicum related to their respective courses to prepare them and expose them for employment. (DENR NorMin)

NorMin PUV groups nix’ consolidation’ extension

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Most public utility vehicle (PUV) groups in the Northern Mindanao Region do not want another deadline extension for consolidating operators as a single cooperative

In an interview on Friday, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Northern Mindanao (LTFRB-10) Director Amenodin Guro said the feedback resulted from their series of consultative meetings with 15 existing PUV transport cooperatives this week.

“The transport players don’t want an extension again for the consolidation of jeepney operators into cooperative or corporation, whose deadline is set on December 31 this year,” he said.

During the meetings, Guro noted that only Manolo Fortich town in Bukidnon and the local government unit (LGU) here had submitted the required Local Public Transport Route Plan (LTPRP) needed for the government’s PUV modernization program.

“There’s a minimal oversight on overlapping issues that the LTFRB should undertake, but it can be done in a proper time,” he said.

Guro said LTFRB-10 is currently focused on consolidating and submitting LTPRP from different LGUs in the region.

If the LGUs cannot cooperate on the LTPRP requirement, he said transport groups can file an administrative case due to dereliction of duty.

Currently, almost 2,000 modernized PUVs are operating in Region 10 with 78 routes, the majority of which are from this city and Misamis Oriental province. (PNA)

DOH-10 inaugurates Normin regional blood center

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)–The Department of Health Center for Health Development Northern Mindanao (DOH-CHDNM) inaugurates its Northern Mindanao Regional Blood Center (NMRBC) on June 30

The NMRBC is a project under the Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP) of the Department of Health that

aims to improve access to quality healthcare facilities and services in the region. The construction of the building started in 2018 under the leadership of then-DOH-10 Regional Director Dr. Nimfa Torrizo, which Regional Director Dr. Jose Llacuna, Jr later carried over.

The blood center is designed to be the central storage facility for donated blood in the region. Since the center is still in its infancy, the DOH-CHDNM will work alongside the Philippine Red Cross until the facilities are fully operational.

Meanwhile, the health department hopes the public will understand and realize the importance of voluntary blood donation to save lives.

“Ang pag-construct ng mga ganitong gusali or facilities, hindi ito guarantee na consistent ang availability ng blood. Kahit meron tayong ganito kung di natin bibigyan ng tamang paraan upang magkaroon ng voluntary blood donors at magkaroon nang-stock dito wala tong kwenta ang building na ito. We need to give extra effort to make the program responsive to the needs of the people,” DOH Undersecretary for Field Implementation and Coordination Team-Mindanao, Abdullah Dumama, Jr., said. (The construction of such buildings or facilities does not guarantee the consistent availability of blood. Even if we have something like this, if we provide the right way to have voluntary blood donors and have stock here, this building will be valuable. We need to give extra effort to make the program responsive to the needs of the people)

Admittedly, the health department acknowledges the need to improve the safe blood collection and distribution system; hence, they are working with partners and stakeholders to establish a more responsive blood donation program.

“All of these accomplishments have been able to be achieved because of the cooperation of all stakeholders, and we hope that in the coming years, with the blessing from God above, we will be able to serve our Filipino people, especially those who have less in life, for they deserve more from us,” DOH-10 Regional Director Jose Llacuna said. (JAKA/PIA-10)

Bivalent vaccines launched in Normin

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)–To further boost the protection of healthcare workers and senior citizens in Northern Mindanao, the Department of Health Center for Health Development Northern Mindanao (DOH-CHDNM) officially launched the COVID-19 Bivalent Vaccination drive for Northern Mindanao, June 29

The bivalent vaccine, produced by Pfizer Pharmaceutical, contains the original strain of COVID-19 with an added strain of the omicron component BA.4-5 for better prevention of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant of SARS-COV-2.

“As a matter of principle, since there is a limitation on supply, we prioritize the health workers (A1) and senior citizens (A2). We have an initial allocation of about 16,440 doses for Northern Mindanao for its initial

implementation,” DOH-10 Regional Director Jose R. Llacuna, Jr. said.

With the arrival of the vaccines, two launch sites were established by the health department to officially kick off the bivalent vaccination implementation, namely, the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) and Sitio Macanhan, Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City.

Despite the limited number of vaccines, Llacuna has assured the healthcare workers in NMMC that additional supplies are expected to arrive in the coming weeks and that bivalent immunization will commence in the different areas of the region.

“We will wait for about four to six months after the second [booster] dose before those will qualify for the bivalent dose,” Llacuna added.

Meanwhile, with the launch of bivalent vaccination in Cagayan de Oro City, the city government has fully supported the program. Hundreds of senior citizens have lined up for the third booster dose at the vaccination site.

As the campaign for the third booster dose commences, both DOH-10 and the City Government of Cagayan de Oro City urge all senior citizens to avail themselves of the program to protect them against COVID-19 further. (JAKA/PIA-10)