CEBU CITY, Cebu — Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 (DSWD-7) nutritionist-dietician Melinda Cañares, who chairs the Technical Working Group of the Central Visayas Regional Nutrition Committee, was recently awarded by DSWD-7 as "Best Technical Staff – Professional Category” for being an exceptional worker with the highest degree of professionalism providing appropriate intervention in the needs of children, stakeholders and other intermediaries in implementing DSWD’s Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP). A wife and mother to two boys, Cañares initiated the orientation of auditors covering local government units to smoothen operations and speed up fund transfers audit and liquidation. (Phoebe Jen Indino)
PEACE ROAD
CALATRAVA, Negros Occ. (PIA) — Roy Bautista of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), Gov. Alfredo G. Marañon Jr., provincial and local officials, and private sector representatives recently led the ground-breaking rites for an P8-million farm-to-market road project linking upland barangays Cambayobo in Calatrava town and Magticol in Toboso town. The project, which is expected to benefit over 4,000 small farmers, has a P7.7-million funding from OPAPP and a provincial government counterpart fund of P500,000 counterpart fund. Bautista said the Cambayobo-Magticol road link can be referred to as a “road to peace and progress.
AQUINO DONATION
BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occ. — A P200,000 cheque for the hospitalization fund of People with disability (PWD) in Bacolod City was turned over recently by Liberal Party senatorial bet and President Benigno S. Aquino III’s cousin, Bam Aquino to Mayor Evelio Leonardia. Aquino said the assistance is part of the PWD fund support of Senator Kiko Pangilinan, who failed to come with him due to the latter’s tight schedule in Manila. He said if he wins in the May 13 senatorial contest, his work priorities will be education and employment. Leonardia said, “The elections might be still far off, but Bam (Aquino)’s presence here speaks millions of words.” (Editha B. Colmo)
G.S.I.S. REFUND
DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) – Department of Education (DepEd) employees in Negros Oriental will receive their refund premium in arrears previously deducted from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) starting this month. GSIS Dumaguete Branch Manager, Atty. Mercedes Enriquez, said the P363 million initial refund is made possible by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)’s 50 percent payment of DepEd’s P6.92-billion in unpaid compulsory premium contributions representing government’s share of nearly 800,000 teaching and non-teaching employees from July 1, 1997 to December 31, 2010.
I.C.S. TRAINING
ROXAS CITY, Capiz (PIA) — The Office of the Civil Defense Regional Office 6 (OCD-6) recently conducted a three-day Basic/Intermediate Incident Command System (ICS) training course for 40 members of the Capiz Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (PDRRMC) in Iloilo City. Capiz’s PDRRMC vice chairperson, Capiz Police Provincial Director Domingo Cabillan, said the activity will be of help in handling disaster responses and other situations.