SAN JOSE, Antique (PIA6) — The National Food Authority (NFA) in Antique is unrelenting in its campaign to use iron-fortified rice especially in communities with high incidence of malnutrition. Accredited NFA rice retailers here are encouraged to continue selling such rice at P27 per kilo. Antique, NFA Information Officer Gazelle Jamandron said, has 97 accredited rice retail outlets selling iron-fortified rice which is also used in supplemental feeding programs in day care centers provincewide, she said. NFA manager, Hedy Jardeleza, in partnership with different local government units and concerned national government agencies launched the advocacy campaign in different municipalities to increase the use of iron-fortified rice in every household.

Water Management

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL (PIA6) — It's not enough to just be a forest law enforcers; one must also acquire paralegal skills. Thus, the Negros Occidental provincial government through the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) has organized a two-day training on Forestry Law Enforcement, Assessment and Planning/Goal Setting for the Negros Island Integrated Water Resources Management (NI-IWRM) Program which ends Thursday at the Mambukal Mountain Resort. The activity trained some 116 qualified volunteers from barangays in the Ilog-Hilabangan River Basin to be designated community-based law enforcement team.

Intellectual Disability

DUMAGUETE CITY, (PIA) — A symposium dubbed “Making Rights Real for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities” will be held at the College of Education of Silliman University, St. Paul University Dumaguete, Negros Oriental State University, and Foundation University this month. The activity is intended by organizers to raise awareness on intellectual disability, in observance of National Intellectual Disability month. Other activities include graphics design (with slogan) and essay writing contests; exhibit on Intellectual Disability at Robinsons Place Main Atrium. February 20-24; and buddy walk 2012 for Intellectual Disability also on February 24.

Social Services

SAN CARLOS CITY, Negros Occ. (PNA) — The national government will dispatch concerned agencies to bring social services in a Caravan of Government Social Services in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on February 16. The caravan was initiated by the San Carlos Diocesan Social Action Foundation, Inc. in coordination with the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas headed by Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol. The partnership also involves San Carlos City’s local government, Philippine Minnesotan Medical Mission, and the San Carlos Medical Society. The services caravan will be held at the city auditorium.

Skills Seminar

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte (PIA) — As the main agency that takes care of government workers, the Civil Service Commission Regional Office 8 (CSC – 8) will hold a basic customer service skills seminar on February 22-23 in Tacloban City. CSC Director III Atty. Marilyn E. Taldo said the training is designed for frontline service providers which will be given skills to enable them to please customers and make them enjoy their work even more. The two-day training will ensure the CSC – 8’s mandate as government’s central personnel agency that shall establish a career service, adopt measures to promote morale, efficiency, integrity, responsiveness and courtesy in the civil service, among other human resource interventions. Specifically, the course aims to help participants understand the importance of service excellence; discover their critical role in providing excellent service in their respective organizations; gain better understanding of customer/client behavior.