DAM observes 12th founding day

Mayor Mary Joy Uy Midtimbang

DATU ANGGAL MIDTIMBANG (DAM), Maguindanao --- This municipal government has stepped up another milestone as it celebrated its 12th Foundation Anniversary last November 22.

Mayor Mary Joy Uy Midtimbang said the town’s populace flocked  the municipal ground during the three-day outdoor activities prior to the culmination program.

"Local residents have enjoyed outdoor games such as volleyball, badminton, tug-of-war, sipa sa mangkis, and singing contest," Mayor Midtimbang said.

The mayor said the 'zumba' session was also staged with participation by the drug surrenderees together with the local government unit personnel,  and members of the Philippine National Police  and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

"The participation of our drug surrenderees is one testament that they are committed to really turn their backs out of drugs. We are glad to announce that the recent results of the drug test administered to all our surrenderees have been negative," the mayor added.

Further, Mayor Midtimbang said there were activities intended for the women sector “as they   enjoyed various parlor games.”

"We also had a feeding program benefited by hundreds of children as part of the activities of the Children’s Month celebration," Mayor Midtimbang said. (Gilmhar A. Lao with Anne Acosta)

DSA spearheads tree planting

LET THE SEEDLINGS GROW --- Shown planting a Mahogany tree seedling (R-L) are Civil-Military Officerr Lt. Glenn Paul Foronda of the 1st Mechanized Battalion, DSA Mayor Bai Anida A. Dimaukom, Liga ng mga Barangay president and Barangay Elian chair Anwar Kedtag, and MSWO Naphisa Pangandaman. (DSA-LGU)

DATU SAUDI AMPATUAN (DSA), Maguindanao ---  The municipal government of this town led a tree planting activity last November 23  in Barangay Salbu, particularly around the  municipal compound, to further push the government’s program of caring and preserving the country’s ecosystem in this part of Mindanao.

Mayor Hadja Bai Anida A. Dimaukom said the environmental care project is a joint partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through representation of the  Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office headed  by Naphisa Pangandaman.

The tree planting activity, the mayor said, is tuning up the advocacy of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as lead agency under the program “Save Our Mother Earth” with the local government unit as support agency in the community level.

Further, she said, the activity as is a way of illuminating the symbol of peace and unity in the fight against  threats and destabilization.

Mayor Dimaukom emphasized that  the greening program is a mitigating measure against soil erosion and the subsequent heavy flooding and global warming in general, thus,  “reducing high heat index in the long run.”

She further said the tree planting would also protect the watershed area.  “Aside from that, trees provide  an additional attraction and bring us fresh air in the community… This  is also for our future generation for them to realize the importance of trees in our life.”

She said the tree planting activity in the town is also a collaboration among different line- agencies: Philippine National Police  led by DSA chief of police InspectorAbdulbasit Kulod, Armed Forces of the Philippine  led by Lt. Col. James Fernando of the 1st Mechanized Battalion, and Lt. Col. Robert Gener of the 57th Infantry Battalion together with the LGU staff and employees, and barangay chairmen and officials headed by Liga ng mga Barangay  pesident Anwar Q.Kedtag.

 Municipal Assistant Social Welfare Officer Jojo Durado said they planted  some 150 mahogany seedlings around the municipal compound, adding: “This is the first time that the Department of Social Welfare and Development has initiated the tree planting activity and this locality has been chosen as its pilot project.”

He said the second batch of tree planting activity will follow in other barangays.

Durado further said they have set the second and third  week of December for their clean-up drive against  dengue-carrier mosquitoes  and other harmful insects on susceptible areas to protect the town folks from insect-borne diseases. This is supportive to the anti-dengue drive of the Department of Health. (Anne Acosta)

Editorial

DO IT – Academic honours

If they can do it, so do you dear students. All pupils in one Grade 6 section in a school at Bangkal in Davao City have entered the “honor roll.” Exceptional indeed and the section has become an elite class, the “pambato” for scholastic and extra-curricular competitions. Of course, we have others who are academic honors but all in one section is different, but not at all impossible.

        Reports indicated that pupils in this section are fast learners and very diligent in doing their academic homeworks and don’t waste time lingering around. I surmise that these diligent pupils are very focused on their studies and one  should be if they aim  for high achievement.  Honor students, you know, are cream of the crops  and can easily land jobs as they are sought after by employers. Graduates of mathematics and statistics or number subjects, few as they are, are sellables in the economic markets, especially in academic institutions. 

        Behind this all-honor phenomenon are the mentors who dedicate their profession for the intellectual growth of the youths. We salute you mam, sir for steering the faculties of the youths.

        Remembering my dean of studies, he said academics can be looked at as an avenue for entertainment. Why so? Learning is entertaining and builds up wisdom… it should not be considered as mental punishment with all those memorizing terms or concepts. Achieving and mastering the five levels of learning, other than recall process, is already a big achievement.

          Other than dependent on schools, parents have a big role to play in monitoring and supervising the academic status of their children, especially on their tender age --- the development of study habits be in school or at home. Parents, too, have to encourage their sibs to be achievement-oriented. Parents have to mind the weak points of their kids so proper intervention could be instituted… some resort to further tutoring to master one or two subjects, especially the so-called “waterloos” such as mathematics and sciences.

        Going back to the all-honor section, I can surmise they have mustered subjects on communication, sciences, and numbers. Reports had it that many Filipinos are poor in mathematics and this should be overcome. Surely, overcoming loopholes is a challenge and it can be done if one wants it to be done.

        Remembering our dean of studies, he said: “Don’t just try, DO IT” in wanting to excel. The culture of the “need for high achievement” is a mission which can be done “if you want it to be done.” This is a real challenge and one is a winner in the end. 

Maguindanao, Lanao Sur mayors attend 3-day executive course

DRIVING FORCE --- Local chief executives from Maguindanao in a pictorial with DILG Secretary Eduardo Año at the Peace and Security Development Course in Davao City. (Anne Acosta)

COTABATO CITY --- Local chief executives in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, all in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, hurdled a seminar-training on Peace and Security Development Course held at the Pinnacle Hotel in Davao City last November 7 to 9.

The three-day executive training course is a program of the Department of National Defence (DND) led by Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the Department of the Interior and Local Government  (DILG) under Secretary Eduardo Año.                                                                                                                        DILG Secretary Año, in his closing statement for the three-day seminar and training, said he  “feels happy” seeing the faces of all the mayors from the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao Sur in attendance and participation for  the executives course.

Hundred percent of the mayors attended the course whose subjects include conflict-resolution strategies and framework intervention on localization of peace negotiation, among others.

He emphasized the importance of the course so the local chief executives may further infuse the mandates of the national government.

Año also recognized the presence of the 6th Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Cerelito Sobejana; Brigade Commanders  Col. Alfredo Rosario, Jr. and Brig. Gen. Jesus Saragat of the  602nd and 603rd  Brigade, respectively; Lt. Col. Edgar Catu of the 40th IB; 57th IB commander Lt. Col. Ernesto Gener; 1st Mechanized Battalion Commander Col. James Fernando;  and PNP-ARMM  Director Graciano  Mijares;  and DILG-11  Director Alex Roldan .

 Año gave special mention of the 23 municipal governments that have been recipients of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Awards with cash incentives which can be utilized for their respective development programs or projects.

The SGLG awardees passed the performance criteria-compliance from the previous 4+1  to the current seven (good financial housekeeping, social protection, disaster preparedness, business friendliness, competitiveness, peace and order, and environmental management)

“If you have qualified on and passed these sets of criteria, you become somebody and you earn the trust and appreciation in governance with the people as the end-beneficiaries, the very constituents you, local chief executives, serve. That means you are good performing  leaders,” Año said.

“But, mind you people, these criteria are not easy to comply with, it’s so hard. And for the first time since I started two years ago in this agency, there was no qualifier among  you. But this time, it’s amazing because 23 municipalities  from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have passed the SGLG,” Año further said.

The SGLG passers from Maguindanao  are  Matanog, Barira, Buldon, Parang, Sultan Mastura, Sultan Kudarat, Upi, South Upi, Guindulungan, Shariff  Aguak, Datu Paglas, and Datu Abdullah Sangki.

In Basilan, the SGLG awardees are the municipal governments of Maluso and Sumisip while in Tawi-tawi are Sibuto and Simunol. The municipality of Talipao in Sulu is the awardee while in Lanao del Sur, these are Buadiposo-Buntong, Kapatagan, Piagapo, Taraka and Wao.

He expressed hope that there will be more SGLG qualifiers and winners in the ensuing year.

He said the award system will be institutionalized through the passage of the SGLG law with cash incentives increasing from one to three million pesos.

“Now, if the cash awards are higher than today, I am sure that our SGLG passers and even those wanting to become qualifiers would work harder and look forward to their plans and programs to hit their goals of winning the competition among other local government units,” Año said of the recognition and fiscal incentives.

Año said the three-day executives course for local chief executives is a learning session to enhance the knowledge and abilities of political leaders to work and plan for development and settle problems besetting the communities as well as engrain the know-how in the proper handling and distribution of projects coming from the national government to the intended beneficiaries.

The activity, he further said, is a way of determining “if a local chief executive is really performing in his locality though his/her reports on the on goings in their respective area,” the DILG Secretary said.  (Anne Acosta)  

Editorial

Bonuses for spending WHAT?

Another spending spree this yuletide season or the coming year-end. By tradition, this happens but let us put rationale in spending. Spending for what and then lose the dime.

For government employees, they started to receive their 14th month pay since November 15. The 14th month pay and other benefits are exempted from taxation, provided they do not exceed P90,000. All government employees will also receive P5,000 cash bonus. Those in the private sector usually receive their counterpart sometime the middle of December or before Christmas day.

December is month of merriments, it’s in the family and closest of relatives. There will be gift giving, special celebrations, and special purchases of whatever desire and want that are afforable. It is also moment for class reunions, hence, additional expenses. All these spendings come from the bonuses and when January comes there could be no dime to keep. 

Spendings are associated with celebrations we so cherish out of tradition, some of these have binding on the families. We relate with each other more during this festive occasions, reminding each other of our ties and social attachment. Families and close relatives come together to renew the social bonding. Spending, therefore, is a means of reaching out to each other and reminding each other that “we are still here.” This is worth spending but not really that lavish so we still have tomorrow.

But how much do we have to spend for the yuletide season? For wage earners whose income are fixed rather than progressive, we have to put rationale on expenditures. There are days we need cash for emergencies.

Bonuses are extra sums for the pocket and it is best we take spare for the eventualities… meaning we have to keep an amount as savings. In monthly budgeting, putting a sum as savings is a rationale move. In receiving bonuses, savings are spare when the dry days come.

Yes, we spend for the holidays but we have also to spend for emergencies. Bonuses serve as extras for special spending and consider savings as deposit for future spending… for dire needs. It would be a sigh of relief to know we have a sum for the coming days we need it most. Make savings be your own bonus for certainly the necessity will come.

A friendly reminder --- don’t waste bonuses.