ILOILO CITY, Philippines (PNA) – The regional consular office of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is looking forward to the resumption of its mobile passport service with the plenty of requests it has been receiving from various local government units (LGUs) here.

The mobile passport service was temporarily put on hold following the shift to e-passport.

DFA regional director Sarah Salcedo said that the mobile passport service requires them to have a portable computer or a laptop that has been programmed specifically for the e-passport.

To date they are still waiting for their central office to send them the necessary equipment.

WORKERS EXODUS HURT CONTRACTORS

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Construction contractors in Cebu are weighed down by high productivity costs and the exodus of skilled laborers for overseas jobs, among others, an industry official said.

Charles Sy, former president of the Cebu Contractors Association Inc. (CCA), said despite the growing property development projects in Cebu, contractors suffer from lack of skilled laborers.

 “Unless we entice skilled workers to stay and understand the needs of the engineering sector, we will continue to lag behind our Asean neighbors,” he said.

According to Sy, there is a decline in the number of skilled construction workers with the growth in demand for laborers with their kind of skills in the Middle East, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. (Malou M. Mozo)

PERDICES’ PASSING LAMENTED

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occ., Philippines – Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, in a General Assembly Resolution of the League of Cities of the Philippines, expressed sympathies and condolences to the family of the last Negros Oriental Governor and former Dumaguete City Mayor Agustin R. Perdices who died of stomach cancer earlier this week at St. Luke’s Hospital in Manila.

His resolution lamented the passing of a man who, Leonardia said, “gave the best years of his life in serving his people.” Perdices, 76, was Dumaguete Mayor for 19 years.

Perdices, said Leonardia, “was the epitome of a good public servant who was dedicated, reasonable, concerned and humble; during his watch, Dumaguete metamorphosed into an educational hub and commercial center not just in Oriental Negros, but in the entire Negros Island.” (Edith B. Kolmo)

ILOILO TOWN HOSTS CORN MEET

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – An Iloilo town recently hosted the first Municipal Corn Congress in the country, featuring the latest technology in the cultivation of the cereal and methods for battling pests and diseases.

Participated in by 250 farmers and industry players as well as representatives of the Techno Gabay program of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and seed technology, pesticide, and fertilizer companies, the congress was hosted by the Farmers Information Technology Services (FITS) Center in Batad, Iloilo.

The congress venue was the Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC) Batad Campus Social Hall and Open Pollinated Variety (OPV) Corn Techno-Demo Research Farm with Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor leading in the opening rites. (Marvyn Benaning)

FACTORY WORKERS NEEDED IN TAIWAN

ILOILO CITY, Philippines (PNA) – Ilonggos looking for jobs may find opportunities waiting for them in Taiwan.

he Office of Rep. Salvador Cabaluna III, who hails from Iloilo and was elected as representative of the 1st Consumers Alliance for Rural Energy Partylist (1-CARE Partylist), on Wednesday announced it will help facilitate the employment of some 1,000 jobseekers who are interested to work as factory workers in Taiwan.

His office has partnered with the Flash International Manpower in the said endeavor, information from his office quoted.

It is Cabaluna’s way of expressing his gratitude to those who helped the 1-CARE Partylist during the previous elections,“ Earl Sitaca, Cabaluna’s political affairs officer said.