CEBU CITY – The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) intends to partner with the academe for the formation of a junior chamber aimed at educating the younger generation on the value of entrepreneurship. CCCI hopes to pioneer the creation of a Junior Chamber of Commerce in Cebu in coordination with the University of San Carlos (USC) and the Rotary Club of Cebu-Fuente. “There is a need for the youth to actively participate in the business sector in Cebu in order to better prepare them once they get out of the academe,” said Mary Ann Alcordo-Solomon, an active CCCI member who is also with the Rotary Club of Cebu-Fuente. Schools other than USC offering degrees in Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship and business management courses will also be invited to create their own chapter, Solomon said. Aside from the creation of said Junior Chamber of Commerce, Solomon said the USC Entrepreneur Fair, now on its second year, will be institutionalized and held annually and be expanded to include one-stop-shop coaching component, which will have successful businessmen provide free consultations for students wanting to venture into small scale businesses. (Malou M. Mozo)

SOLAR PANELS MULLED FOR CITY HALL

ILOILO CITY (PNA) – The city government here is mulling the use of solar panels for the new Iloilo City Hall building to save energy. City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said adding solar panels for the new city hall building as a source of renewable energy will save the city electricity and bills in the long run. The solar panels will cost the city government some P10 million to install, including its various components and fabrications, he added. Mabilog clarified that the proposed solar panel is not part of the revisions of the new city hall designs which would cost more than P200 million. Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity through solar cells. The panels are connected electrically to one another and are installed in commercial and residential buildings. Multiple solar panels can produce sizeable amounts of electricity enough to power an entire structure for hours. Solar panels are also used as substitutes for energy production and conservation. These panels can adequately cut heating and air conditioning bills. They may be installed on rooftops to allow maximum exposure to sunlight and function best when exposed to direct sunlight.

BACOLOD FAMILIES AVAIL OF 4PS

BACOLOD CITY (PIA) – Some 1,500 families are beneficiaries of the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bacolod City. They are distributed as follows - 242 families from Barangay Singcang, 432 from Banago, 253 from Sum-ag, 303 from Taculing and 270 from Tangub. The poverty reduction strategy of the DSWD provides grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education of children aged 0-14. One of its objectives is short-term poverty alleviation through provision of cash aid to the poor to alleviate their needs. It also aims for social development by breaking the intergenerational poverty cycle through human capital investments. Beneficiaries receive cash grants through a Landbank cash card.