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DENR leads CV rivers’ simultaneous clean-up
Enthused by the successes of the massive volunteer clean-up of the polluted bay in Metro Manila, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Visayas spearheads the simultaneous clean-up activity to kick off the river rehabilitation program in Central Visayas this month. Set this February 22, Friday, the DENR has identified ten rivers in Central Visayas as venue for the envisioned massive volunteer clean-up activity, according to DENR Regional Executive Director Gilbert Gonzales. The DENR has identified Category B classified rivers in Cebu, Bohol, Negros and Siquijor for this. Bohol Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Charlie Fabre, during the Capitol paid radio program Kita ug Ang Gobernador Friday, explained that category B rivers are those which have been identified with a certain degree of pollution where the coliform level is below the 100 most probable number (MPN) as determined by laboratory tests. These include Bautanon River in Mandaue, Bulacao River in Bulacao and Luyang River in Luyang Carmen, in Cebu, Abatan River in Cortes, Wahig River in Inabanga and Manaba River in Garcia Hernandez in Bohol, Banica River in Valencia, Panam-angan River in Bais and Sicopong River in Santa Catalina in Negros Oriental as well as Señora River in Siqiijor. In Central Visayas the state of our rivers is not a hopeless case, [but still] let us come together and prove that we can also make it happen,” said DENR 7 Regional Executive Director Gilbert C. Gonzales. And while most river clean up events are initiated by government agencies, the DENR intends to gather as much volunteers and mobilize communities for the Visayas-wide events this... read moreOceanJet opens routes to eastern Bohol tours
Bohol tourism stakeholders expect more tourism arrivals here as a fascraft service that promises to take people to destinations fast and easy, opens up five daily routes at an introductory promotional fare to Bohol at P250.00. Leading fast craft service provider in Bohol, Ocean Jet (OceanJet) Ferries Corporation made true its tagline of “taking you there, fast and easy,” as it opened its five daily boat trips from Pier 1 in Cebu City to Getafe Wharf in Bohol, January 24, vespers of the feast day of the town. The newly opened fast craft route bodes well to the tourism and economic stakeholders in northeast Bohol as this establishes a new fast connection between Cebu and the sleepy towns here. Already coming up with their own tourism products but are hard up with the facility of bringing in guests with the closest port in Tubigon, over 30 kilometers away, the new trip cuts the travel time from Cebu to Getafe by slow boat by half and adds up five trips to the 10 already established trips served by Clemer Shipping and another fast craft service: Star Craft. With its inaugural trip January 24, Ocean Jet offers no business class only tourist class for P250.00, some P40 more than the slow boats serving the route. Ocean jet trips to Cebu’s pier 1 from Getafe wharf starts at 6:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 3:15 PM and 6:15 PM, all trips to Cebu in an hour-long of comfort and style. Pier 1 to Getafe starts at 8:15 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM for the last trip, sleeping... read more
DTI LAUNCHES 4 NEW NEGOSYO CENTERS IN BOHOL
The Department of Trade and Industry-Bohol recently launched four new Negosyo Centers in the province. Negosyo Centers of Getafe and Sagbayan as well as Guindulman and Dimiao were inaugurated last December 21 and 27, 2018 respectively. Present during the launching were Mayor Casey Shaun M. Camacho of Getafe, Vice Mayor Charito Lao of Sagbayan, Mayor Albino Balo of Guindulman and Mayor Danilo Guivencan of Dimiao, DTI Regional Director Asteria C. Caberte, DTI Bohol Provincial Director Maria Soledad L. Balistoy, and representatives from the Bohol SMED Council and the respective Local Government Units. A major highlight of the events was the signing of the memorandum of agreement between DTI and the respective Local Government Units. In her message, PD Balistoy said that strategic location and huge growth potentials of the municipalities were the top considerations in the identification and establishment of these centers. “A seed has been planted and we, in DTI, would be glad to see this seed grow in order to foster business growth and development as we open these Negosyo Centers in your towns”, she added. Furthermore, DTI Regional Director Aster Caberte expressed congratulations to the said LGUs, highlighting her appreciation on the strong commitment of local officials, which is a key factor in the successful establishment of the centers. The Negosyo Centers provide the following basic services: business registration, business advisory services and business information and advocacy Aside from improving ease in doing business, the centers aim to assist entrepreneurs in improving their capabilities by providing them with customized assistance package suitable for their respective businesses. The establishment of Negosyo Centers is in line with the...DTI LAUDS QUEZON CITY’S ONLINE BUSINESS REGISTRATION: MOBILE APPS PUSHED FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS TO START A BUSINESS
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is pushing for automated government frontline services through mobile applications and the use of electronic payment scheme to enhance the ease of doing business in the country. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, chair of Inter-agency Ease of Doing Business Task Force, said that the ultimate goal of all the reforms is to make all frontline services online literally at your fingertips, providing a convenient and efficient means for public to transact with the government. Lopez cited the Quezon City (QC) government’s Online Business Registration, where applicants can file for business permits online. This allows businesses to easily register their firms in the comforts of their home/businesses. During the joint visit of the DTI, DILG and NCC, the QC government reported on the ePayment facility for business taxes and real property taxes. Payment of these charges can be made thru Landbank, Bancnet, or GCash. These reforms significantly improved doing business in Quezon City. “As we continue to cut red tape and streamline procedures, we are now moving towards automation of government transactions. In the age of smartphones, we intend to harness its potential to ease of doing business. With the support of DICT, we are looking at developing a fully electronic registration process using smartphone apps.” Lopez said Secretary Lopez also stated that with the enactment of the proposed Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act, nationwide automation will soon become a reality. The proposed law mandates a central business portal that will link the systems of national government agencies and local government units, as well as the establishment of a...Local News/ Bohol Balita
PHL EXPORTS YIELD GROWTH IN DECEMBER 2016
The Department of Trade and Industry sees sustained growth for exports in 2017 as Philippine exported goods yielded a 4.5% growth in December 2016 with a total of $4.71 billion in export revenues from $4.660 billion in the same period in 2015. “As we implement new strategies in diversifying our markets and upscaling our products and services amidst the slowdown in global trade, we hope that our exports will continue to improve in the next quarters” said DTI Industry Promotion Group Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado. In a report released by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), increase in the top five (5) major export commodities contributed to the growth which include coconut oil (crude and refined; 146.5%), other mineral products (104.5%), metal components (66.4%), chemicals (42.1%), and other manufactures (35.8%). While electronic products experienced a 2.8% decrease in total receipts as compared to 2015 data, these remained to be the top export product of the country with total receipts of $2.451 billion, accounting for 50.3% of the total exports revenue in December 2016. Other Manufactures ranked second with 7.2% share to the total export receipts. It recorded an increase of 35.8% from December 2015 value of $257.32 million. It is followed by Machinery and Transport Equipment with export revenue of $227.05 million, Woodcrafts and Furniture with total sales of $202.14 million, and Ignition Wiring Set and Other Wiring Sets Used in Vehicles, Aircraft and Ships with $153.72 million export sales. “ Notable 67.5% increase in the exports of our Agro-Based Products in December 2016 is a good indication that our agrisector will be up in the coming months. We hope to...PH CHAMPIONS MSMES, YOUTH AND WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR ASEAN 2017 BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT PROGRAM
Philippines, through the Department of Trade and Industry, unveils business programs that champion the promotion of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), youth and women entrepreneurship at the ASEAN 2017 Business and Investment Program (ABIP) Launch at the at the Rizal Ceremonial Hall in Malacañang last month. The development of MSMEs is among the priority areas in terms of ASEAN’s policy focus and resources. ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2025 Pillar 4 (“Resilient, Inclusive, People-Oriented, and People-Centered ASEAN”) reinforces the MSME-oriented mandate and supports the significant work of ASEAN in providing an enabling environment for MSME development and internationalization. “Philippines, through DTI, wants to highlight business programs and events that will complement the ASEAN efforts to champion the inclusion of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the international trade, and the strengthened promotion of youth and women entrepreneurship,” said DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez. During the ASEAN Business and Investment Program launch, DTI Secretary Lopez shared programs developed which provides the business component of the priority themes and policies that the Philippines is advocating under the AEC pillar with an ASEAN perspective. The following programs were developed by DTI as chair for the ASEAN 2017 Committee on Business and Investment Promotion: ASEAN MSMEs-Mentors Conference 2017; ASEAN Creative Cities Forum and Exhibit ; ASEAN at International Food Exposition Philippines 2017; ASEAN Women’s Business Conference; Inclusive Business Summit; 2nd ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Carnival; Creative Marketplace; Slingshot ASEAN; and ASEAN MSME Summit. Further to this, through the priority agenda of “inclusive, innovation-led growth”, the Philippines is poised to champion the MSME mandate in the ASEAN through the following strategic measures: (1)...DTI CHIEF TO ENTREPS: GO DIGITAL
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez has called for digital empowerment in the Philippines to continue fueling the development of the country’s digital commerce or e-commerce, a key priority in the current trade agenda. “I urge our micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to welcome digital integration,” said Sec. Lopez, adding that now is the perfect timing to rally towards digital empowerment as the Philippine economy experiences strong macro-economic fundamentals, renewed investor confidence and good governance During the recent office opening of Google in Taguig, the trade chief said that “digital integration is a great equalizer, as it allows MSMEs to gather product ideas and concepts, do market tests and do promotions and selling at practically no cost.” He also said that MSMEs can make use of programs in partnership with companies like Google, so that the sector “can take advantage of opportunities that go with going digital. With vast interest infused in the demography of the Philippines as the world’s social media capital and with 50 million Internet users, accounting for 50% of the country’s total population today, the Philippines can be a model country for digital empowerment, according to him. “I hope that more effective web services, improved search experience and effective advertising platform will be delivered to all stakeholders. With Google officially in the country, we can only expect production of meaningful local contents,” he added. Citing Statista, it is projected that by 2021, 81% of the country’s population will be Internet users. For the Southeast Asian region alone, the country has the fastest growing Internet audience at 22% growth rate, according...Inabanga, Buenavista ports up for development – Aris
By JUNE S. BLANCO INABANGA and Buenavista towns in northern Bohol stand to have their ports improved this year. This after Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado (Bohol, 2nd District) inserted funds for the purpose in the 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Aumentado said a new and bigger P50-million port will be built for Inabanga in barangay Uog. This will replace the existing one which is behind the public market in barangay Tungod. The seawater off Uog is deeper. He said this augurs well for larger pump boats and motorized bancas. This will make regular the trips to Cebu and back. Many residents and store-owners buy provisions and stocks from Cebu rather than go on land trips to the capital Tagbilaran City. The solon, however, vowed to secure additional funds for this port when he returns to Manila, as this is a new construction, not just an improvement. On the other hand, also in the GAA is P40 million for the improvement of the Buenavista fishport. Of the three congressional districts in Bohol, the 2nd District has the most islands and islets. This means islanders travel a lot by sea to buy from the mainland or from Cebu, their needs at home or in school, or to bring patients to hospitals. Aumentado said the improved ports will also improve travelling conditions for the islanders and their cargoes. Meanwhile, the medical team of the Faces of Tomorrow arrived yesterday morning for a week-long surgical mission to correct cleft lips and cleft palates as well as perform general dentistry. Aumentado led the welcoming delegation at the Tagbilaran City Airport...Bohol joint councils approve adoption of CB drug rehab
TAGBILARAN CITY, February 4, (PIA)—Joint Councils of Bohol Peace and Order (PPOC) and Anti-Drug Abuse (PADAC) approved a resolution en masse, adopting a community based drug rehabilitation program suited for drug users with light to moderate affectation. At a joint meeting held inside the Conference Hall of the Governor’s Mansion January 31, both councils headed by Governor Edgar Chatto formalized the adoption of the Community Based Drug Rehabilitation Without Walls (CBDRWW). By the approval, the councils also green lighted the adoption of the program to all towns as the official drug rehab program for all drug users who opt to undergo the process. CBDRWW is an adoption with minor modifications, of the Talibon Drug Rehabilitation Program without Walls, Argao Drug Rehab center program and best practices, explained the governor. Then episcopal vicar of Talibon Diocese and among the program implementers since September 2016, now Tagbilaran Bishop Alberto Uy said the program “works on poverty, demands no experts because we have no psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors.” As the name suggests, the program uses no confinement in a medical or correctional facility for treatment, and rather looks on to the physical, emotional, psychological, economic and spiritual needs of the drug victims end encourages them to stop alcohol, smoking, gambling and most especially the use of illegal drugs, bishop Uy explained. Envisioned and attuned to the philosophy of human dignity and value, the program delves on the personality of an individual, and his relation to the community in as much as reintegration to the mainstream would demand that the victim needs all the help to work, pray and play along...National News
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