SAN LUIS, Aurora – Malugod na naisagawa ng iba’t ibang ahensya sa pangunguna ng Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) ang selebrasyon ng Environment Month at Arbor Day na may temang “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience” sa pamamagitan ng tree planting na isinagawa sa Barangay Diteki, San Luis Aurora, Hunyo 25.   Lumahok sa aktibidad ang iba’t-ibang kawani at kinatawan ng mga ahensya tulad ng 91st infantry sinagtala battalion Philippine Army, Philippine national Police, Bureau of Fire Protection at mga empleyado ng iba’t-ibang tanggapan ng Pamahalaang Panlalawigan, na pinasiwaan ni Ma. Teresa De Luna, ng ENRO at sa pakikipagtulungan ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) sa pamumuno naman ni Forester G.Alfredo kasama ring nakiisa ang Local Goverment Unit ng bayan ng San Luis. Ayon kay Luna, “Ang pagtatanim ng mga puno ay nakakatulong upang mapanatili ang ganda ng kalikasan at sa pamamagitan nito ay maitataguyod ang biodiversity at malabanan pabago-bagong klima gayundin ay mabawasan ang epektong kalamidad ating lalawigan. Sa pamamagitan ng aktibidad na ito ay makakatulong ang mga lumahok para sa kinabukasan ng susunod na henerasyon.”   Ipinahatid naman ni Punong Lalawigan Reynante A.Tolentino ang taos-pusong pasasalamat sa lahat ng mga kawani ng pamahalaang panlalawigan na nakiisa at nagbigay ng oras upang bigyang halaga ang pagtatanim ng puno kasabay ng pagpapakita ng pangangalaga sa kalikasan. (By PG Aurora Official page).

Subic Bay Freeport – Some 50 persons with disabilities (PWDs) experience work immersion in various offices of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), other business establishments here and in Olongapo City.  This came after the SBMA recently forged a partnership with the local government of Olongapo City to facilitate the work immersion of PWDs inside this premier Freeport.  The SBMA’s Labor Department, as well as the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) Olongapo City, the Work Immersion Program for PWDs in Government and Private Business Establishments are aimed at providing PWDs a ten-day actual work experience in companies here and in Olongapo City. According to Labor Department Manager Atty. Melvin Varias, there are a total of 50 PWDs who were given the chance to work—34 of them are deployed to companies inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.  “Of the 34 PWDs, ten worked at the Grand United Property and Service Management, Inc.; eight were sent to the Subic Bay Travelers Hotel and Event Center; four worked at the Eddie and Julie G Food Corp. at the Jollibee Main Gate; three worked at the SBMA’s Financial Planning and Budget Department; three went to the SBMA’s Accounting Department; five worked here at the SBMA Labor Department; and one was sent to the SBMA Office Services Department,” Varias said. Meanwhile, PDAO Head Rizalino Jose bared that the proposal for the Work Immersion Program was conceptualized in March of this year. He said that during this program, PWDs will be given opportunities to value, experience and prove their worth as equals with the typical workforce. “Our target PWD beneficiaries range from mild to manageable disabilities,” he added. Jose said that their daily minimum wage salary rate of P580 will be funded by the Office of City Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr., adding that the first batch of internship was held last May 27 to June 7, while the second batch is from June 10-21, 2024. SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño lauded the work immersion program for PWDs, citing that the Subic Bay Freeport is the perfect venue for PWDs to experience that there is equality in the workplace.  “Our Labor Department is working hard to provide a harmonious working environment inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. By providing PWDs with the opportunity to work at companies here, it only proves that the SBMA does not tolerate discrimination in the workplace,” he said.  Currently, the Subic Bay Freeport zone has a workforce of 159,762 as of April 2024. This will eventually increase as new investors continue to establish their businesses here.  “These new companies investing in Subic Freeport would mean a possible expansion of the workplace immersion program for PWDs, giving more opportunities for them to prove that they can be productive citizens of the country,” Aliño said. 

TARLAC CITY- Alinsunod sa adhikain ni Gov. Susan A. Yap na siguraduhin ang maayos at matiwasay na kalusugan ng bawat mamamayan saan mang dako ng probinsya,isang komprehensibong medical mission ang natamasa ng mga Tarlakenyo sa Baramgay Bacabac, Camiling,Tarlac,noong Hunyo 13. Iba’t ibang libreng serbisyong medikal ang natamasa ng mga Tarlakenyo tulad na lamang ng blood chem, medical check-up, dental check-up, blood donation, at X-ray. Bukod pa rito ay nakatanggap din ang mga Tarlakenyo ng mga libreng gamot, at bitamina. Labis naman ang pasasalamat na ipinapaabot ng mga Tarlakenyo sa kolektibong aksyon ng mga doktor, nars, at mga opisyales dahil sa matagumpay na pagsulong ng komprehensibong medical mission sa kanilang barangay.

PROVINCE OF NUEVA ECIJA — Senator Imee Marcos has high hopes for the awardees and participants of the Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) Program 2023 as the much-anticipated national awarding ceremony and program kick-off, along with her initiated “BIGAYAN 2024 (Bigas at Bayan)” thought leaders roundtable discussion and rice summit on the rice crisis, take place on June 6 in Nueva Ecija, considered as the “Rice Granary” of the Philippines. “Alam kong marami ang duda kung kaya pa ba natin i-ahon ang sektor ng agrikultura sa nalalapit na hinaharap lalo’t may krisis tayo sa bigas ngayon, marami sa ating mga kababayan ang nagugutom, at hindi ito mahahanapan ng solusyon agad-agad. Rice prices persist as the most stubborn cause of inflation, impacting worst of all the poor who spend half of their income on food. “But for as long as there are committed young Filipino farmers out there who are willing to keep our agriculture sector alive, my hope will always remain high,” Marcos said. The YFC program is a competitive financial grant assistance of the Department of Agriculture (DA). It is intended to bring back the Filipino youth to agriculture by providing access to capital to enable them to venture into profitable agriculture, agri-fishery, and agribusiness and agri-entrepreneurship enterprises, and providing business development assistance. “The young are not encouraged to get into the agriculture sector mainly because they see farmers remaining poor despite working daily—rain or shine—and thus, they prefer to seek more profitable professions in our big cities,” Marcos noted. She added, “We need programs such as the YFC to make farming more attractive to them, encourage agri-fishery and livestock innovations, otherwise we will continue to lose workers in the agriculture sector.” Taking advantage of the presence of the awardees, LGUs, and agriculture stakeholders, one of the highlights of the first ever rice summit coinciding with the 4th year of the YFC will be the scheduled thought leaders roundtable discussion on the country’s rice situation, dubbed “BIGAYAN 2024 (Bigas at Bayan)”, to be participated in by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), DA, National Irrigation Administration (NIA), local government unit (LGU) representatives, Young Farmers Challenge Alumni (SAKAHON), Federation of Free Farmers, University of the Philippines School of Economics, agricultural cooperatives, top KADIWA performing cooperatives, and millers, among others. “Through ‘BIGAYAN 2024’, our young farmers bring hope and innovation to our failing agricultural sector. A roundtable discussion by thought leaders from various sectors will posit new solutions to our rice crisis,” Marcos stressed. The senator noted the average age of Filipino farmers is between 57 and 59 years, with data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing the agriculture and forestry sub-sector recording the largest drop in annual decreases in the number of employed persons in March 2024 at 881,000. Since the YFC program started in 2021, there have been a total of 3,625 YFC beneficiaries operating their agribusiness enterprises in 1) production (crop production, poultry, livestock, aquaculture, vermiculture, urban agriculture, horticulture); 2) food processing (chocolate, mushroom by-products, processed vegetables, processed fruits); 3) digital agriculture; and 4) supply chain business solutions. The YFC has also monitored 219 enterprises, held local trade expositions and exhibitions, and KADIWA activities. For 2023, out of 4,812 applicants nationwide for the Start-Up category, there will be 496 provincial awardees; 48 regional awardees for the Upscale category; and 14 enterprises from state universities and colleges (SUCs) for the Intercollegiate Competition. Under Business Development Assistance, financial grants will also be awarded to SUCs, LGUs and farmers cooperatives and associations (FCAs). The grant assistance to awardees will be distributed at the 2023 awarding ceremonies taking place at the Rice Biotechnology Center (RBC), PhilRice, in Nueva Ecija. The event will also showcase the products of the YFC 2023 provincial, regional and national winners and launch the 2024 YFC competition. The senator has a pending bill (Senate Bill No. 180) that seeks to establish and institutionalize the YFC program and create the Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Council. “Until today, young farmers are burdened by their lack of access to knowledge, information and education; the lack of available land to till or affordable credit; a lack of ‘green jobs’, and hardly any consultation or participation venues for the youth in agricultural policy debate and formulation. “The bill seeks to address the myriad problems of the youth in the countryside by decreeing a new program which, through a whole-of-government approach, undertakes the renewed participation of young farmers and fisherfolk in the development of rural areas,” Marcos noted in her explanatory note.

  SAN MARCELINO,Zambales – Dalawangpu’t limang benepisaryo ng NegoKart ang nakikinabang ngayon sa kanilang pangkabuhayan, na ipinamahagi ng local na pamahalaan ng San Marcelino, Zambales. Ang NegoKart ay personal na iinamahagi ni Mayor Elmer Soria, noong Hunyo 10,  kasama sina SBM Apolinario Abelon, PESO Coordinator Maureen Ariem, PB Rizalino Ragadio, PESO staff, PESO Barangay Coordinators at Ms. Nikki Moreno ng MPDO na ginanap sa Barangay Burgos Covered Court. Sa mensahe ni Mayor Soria, masaya niyang binabati ang mga benepisaryong tumanggap ng kanilang mga kariton. Ang pagkakaloob ng NegoKarts ay magbibigay-daan sa pagkakaroon ng kabuhayan at pag-unlad ng ating komunidad. Ang Nego-Kart ay isa sa mga Livelihood program , na ang layunin ay mabigyan ang mga manggagawa sa impormal na sektor ng pangmatagalang pangkabuhayan at matulungan silang umangat ang antas ng kanilang pamumuhay.     PHOTO CAPTION Personal na ipinamahagi ni Mayor Elmer Soria, ang 25 benepisaryo ng NegoKart, na bahagi ng kanilang livelihood program para sa mga impormal sektor na matulungan silang umangat ang kanilang pamumuhay. Photo by PIO San Marcelino.