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DTI PARTNERS WITH NEW ZEALAND TO IMPROVE EASE OF DOING BUSINESS.
U read moreMartial Law Declared For Entire Mindanao Following Maute Attack in Marawi City
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law for the entire island of Mindanao as of 10PM on May 23, 2017 following terrorist attacks by the Maute group in Marawi City. The Maute group is an ISIS inspired terrorist group that have been trying to gain foothold in the country. “He (Duterte) has full confidence in the AFP and PNP’s management of the situation,” said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella in the press conference held in Moscow. The president and some of his cabinet members are in Moscow, Russia for a state visit. According to Secretary (DFA) Alan Peter Cayetano, the president does not take lightly the declaration of martial law because of the implications to certain industries like tourism. “But the priority of the President is the safety, the lives and property of people of Mindanao. So he cannot sacrifice the lives of people for any amount of money or any economic reason,” said Cayetano. AFP Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ano said that at least one police officer was killed and eight soldiers were wounded in the firefight. “I’m appealing to the residents of Marawi City to stay home, drop on the ground if there are gunshots,” Mamintal Adiong Jr, the governor of the Lanao del Sur province told The Philippine Star newspaper. “They have to lock their doors and gates too.” Duterte had said on several occasions that he was ready to declare martial law to finish the terrorism... read more
DTI SPOTLIGHTS LOCAL MSMES AT THE OTOP PREMIUM PRODUCT SHOWCASE
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI demonstrates the massive potential of the grassroots level in Region 7’s food and non-food industries with the mounting of the One Town One Product (OTOP) Premium Product Showcase at the Paseo Solana, Ayala Center Cebu on November 17 – 19 this year. DTI Central Visayas Regional Director Asteria Caberte says that the event will feature products of local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have undergone product development workshops conducted by the department under the OTOP Program. Dir. Caberte adds that MSMEs participating in the OTOP Premium Products Showcase will also supply products for the Go Lokal stores, Tindahang Pinoy, trade fairs and other market access platforms used by the DTI. The DTI official explains that the OTOP Program is a leveling up process that focuses on new variations, better products that have significant improvement in the areas of quality, design, standards, compliance, marketability and production quality. Around 100 MSMEs in Central Visayas took part in the recent OTOP Next Gen Screening, Assessment and Triage (SAT) sessions in Cebu City where experts from the Design Center of the Philippines and from the private sector evaluated potential OTOP products. For queries on the OTOP Premium Product Showcase, interested parties may call any of the following: Victoria Diaz, of DI 7 Regional Office at (032) 255-0036 -37, Vierna Teresa Ligan of DTI Bohol at (038) 5018260, Marivic Aguilar of DTI Cebu at (032) 2556971 / 2553926, Olivet Somido of DTI Negros Oriental at (035) 4222764, and Marlene Patria of DTI Siquijor at (035) 4809065....Auza.Net Completes Summer 2015 OJT Program
Auza.Net has completed its Summer 2015 On-the-Job Training (OJT) program on June 6, 2015. The trainees, composed of 10 students from different campuses of Bohol Island State University and University of Bohol, received their certificates of completion signed by the company’s technology consultant, Jerome Auza. The trainees completed various projects which include conversion of web site designs to use a mobile friendly template, graphics editing and data entry for a point-of-sale system. They also performed actual outsourced data entry and processing required by a European company. For the first semester of school year 2015, the company will again hire OJTs to continue the outsourced data entry and processing as well as participate in other projects to be done in the coming months. Applications for the OJT program are still being accepted. Interested candidates should email their resumes and application letters to...Local News/ Bohol Balita
“No letting guards down”
“THE deadline has passed but we are not letting our guards down,” Col. Romeo Brawner told the Provincial Peace and Order Council during a meeting at the Bohol Tropics Thursday January 13. “We are fortunate that we have surpassed the deadline set by Abu to kidnap foreigners,” Brawner said during the recent assessment of the peace and security situation in Bohol. “We will not let our guards down, we will maintain security not only in Panglao but the whole of Bohol as well, our boats will remain in the area and our focus will remain in place,” he added. Governor Edgar Chatto also echoed Brawner pronouncements saying “The most critical moments are when we believe the danger has passed.” Brawner, who leads the army Special Forces Battalion cited the intelligence report that said a band of Abu Sayaff bandits were heading to Bohol on a double-engine speedboat Monday January 10 to kidnap two foreign tourists. Brawner also confirmed that the same intelligence report which said that the deadline for the operation was within January 10-11. “Bohol was indeed a target for kidnapping by Abusayyaf, our Manila intelligence has confirmed,” Brawner shared. Immediately after receiving the intelligence report, which was validated and was said to have come from a reliable agent in Zamboanga, police and military authorities in Bohol rolled into motion security operations and crisis management planning to get the most immediate deterrent assets in the general area where the hit was supposed to happen. PSSupt Constantino Barot also immediately placed Bohol under a heightened security alert even as he directed the deployment of additional police troops, augmented police...Peace stakeholders want enhanced HR monitoring
BOHOL peace advocates see an overwhelming need to enhance its human rights monitoring capacity inbed in its peace and order council’s Local Peace Forum (LPF). At least the multi-sector representatives gathered at the Bohol Tropics January 4, to be oriented at the Ateneo Law School Human Rights Center’s project to establish Multi-sectoral Quick Reaction Team (MSQRTS) here to help monitor human rights and document possible allegations of violations. At the gathering, church representatives led by Bishop Leonardo Medrosos, ecumenical groups, local government unit representatives, lawyers from Bohol law schools, non government workers, security forces, government agencies, representatives of the court and the media listened to the nuances of the MSQRT established to monitor extra judicial killings and enforced disappearances. MSQRT program coordinator Atty Ma. Krishna Gomez said that aide from the monitoring and documentation, the project also includes training packages for human rights mainstreaming, and psychosocial counseling to beneficiary provinces. She shared that since the project started in 2008, the MSQRT has shared Information and shown greater transparency and accountability amongst member institutions as well as enhanced trust amongst members. The establishment of the body in some provinces has brought in constructive involvement of the media and opened up tables for discussion on the surfacing of issues and joint efforts in finding solutions to EJK and ED. On this, Governor Edgar Chatto hailed the efforts of Ateneo vene as he pointed out that the victim centered mechanism brought about by the MSQRT concept is an apt move. He however stressed that while the confluence of interests is shown in the faces of the attendees and that the multisectoral effort...Six mariculture parks Up for Bohol in 2011
BOHOL would establish at least five mariculture parks within the first quarter of 2011, said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) head here. Another mariculture park would be due in the succeeding quarter, according to BFAR Cresencio Pahamutang. The parks would be a venue for new hatcheries of abalone, lapu-lapu, sea bass, snappers, groupers, pompano and kitong, fish that are in high demand for tourists and locals who have not been so used to feasting on fresh water fish. This way, we could help stabilize the supply of fish especially during the colder months when pelagic Fishes would be migrating to warmer and thus deeper seas, he said as he explained the noted lower fish catch during the monsoon (habagat) season and the succeeding colder months of the year. Sharing the seasonal tendency of fisheries, he said that off season would mean lower catch, doubly complicated by the fact that the season also coincides with the heightened buying capacity of people with the holiday season’s fat bonuses. These factors help build up and push the prices up as the demand is high and the supply is miserably low. To help stabilize local supplies during the colder months, the government through the Department of Agriculture-BFAR has pushed for the establishment of the mariculture parks where first class fish could be bred and harvested as easily. He revealed that the beginning month would also witness the launching of high-value fingerlings for lapu-lapu, sea-bass, snappers, grouper and kitong at Sinandigan Island in Ubay town. Eyed as locations for the mariculture parts are Panggangan Island, in Calape, islets in Ubay, Talibon...Bohol eyes BPO center in 2011
WE have built a digital communication infrastructure that could boost local jobs, but will investors take the bait? Taking the cue from the country’s overtaking India as the business process outsourcing (BPO) capital of the world, Bohol officials eye offering Bohol to investors as a future BPO center in 2011, reveals Governor Edgar Chatto during his weekly radio program. Recently completing a fiber optic link that connects Bohol to a major information communications hub, local efforts have also succeeded in opening up slots to accommodate at least 10,500 seats for call center and BPO agents, Chatto said. Recent records tell that Bohol has only a single call center operating in Tagbilaran despite an infrastructure that could accommodate practically a thousand times more, a graduate from a computer learning center shared. With at least five Bohol schools offering ICT and call center operations courses, even the manpower support has proven to be a formidable force for now, he added. A year after putting up the infrastructure support for the miracle industry that has netted billions of revenues for the government, government leaders here are taking a serious look at the prospects of a bullish BPO here. The newly organized Bohol Information Communication Technology Council (BICT) supervised by the Department of trade and Industry and the Provincial Government has been in a series of meetings to usher in the golden age of ICT in Bohol, the latest of which was this week, Capitol sources said. Governor Edgar Chatto, at the recent Kita ug ang Gobernador Friday was ecstatic about the present Bohol capability to accommodate seats for call center and outsourcing...Stronger private-public Partnerships in ’11-BCCI
STRONGER private sector presence in partnership with the public sector can be very good for the tourism industry in Bohol, take it from a tested businessman member of the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry. According to Fortunato Lim of the Fortune Enterprises fame, there is still a good room for development in tourism infrastructure facilities in Bohol to make us globally competitive. Speaking for the BCCI, Lim said the private sector can do a lot about the things we need to get right to make Bohol a memorable tourism destination. Himself having been sent to Phuket for a tourism benchmarking trip, Lim said Thais have a very competitive tourism development with the help of the private sector. At the Kapihan sa PIA aired live over DyTR, Lim said that Boholanos can still be very hopeful of the tourism boom which is still expected to reach greater heights this year. In fact, he said the BCCI is actively engaged in public and private sector partnerships to press on the philosophy of cooperation. He said the Chamber has been actively meeting with local government units and agencies to help craft development plans to ensure sustainability. Lim said that the Chamber sits to local planners and an urban master planner for the creation of a zoning ordinance in Panglao, Bohol’s most profitable growth area in the next few years. One of the problems of the tourist island is that it has not legislated its zoning ordinance yet that land owners have a fairly free hand in their development without considering the integral development of the place. A good road network in...National News
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