BIR Capiz forms ‘SanTAX Claus’ team
by A. Lumaque
“Nine members composed the team who were given the authority to identify, visit and monitor bazaars, “tiangges” and events, conduct Taxpayer Verification Drive to determine compliance with BIR requirements and to assist non-compliant taxpayers to rectify violations by complying with registration, invoicing and other requirements,” said BIR RDO No. 72 Taxpayers Service Section Chief and Public Information Officer Ma. Gracia DC Balgos.
The team was created by BIR Capiz Revenue District Officer Gil G. Tabanda in line with the Revenue Memorandum Order No. 34 – 2009 issued by BIR senior Deputy Commissioner Joel L. Tan – Torres.
“Instead of delivering toys, the SanTAX Claus teams will be giving out flyers, posting tarpaulins and observing whether vendors are properly issuing receipts or invoices,” said a BIR news release.
The team was also instructed to assist event organizers to comply with BIR requirements especially on registration and ensure that admission tickets being sold are registered with the tax agency.
“If the event organizers and participating vendors are found to have committed any violations, the same team will be handing out BIR Registrations Forms and pre-generated TINs to the erring applicants,” the news noted, adding that applicants will be asked to pay the annual registration fee of P500.
A random check of the serial numbers’ series of the invoices/officials receipts in the possession of participating vendors is also the responsibility of the team.
Registered Aklanon voters reach 296,081
by Venus G. Villanueva
Two months ago, the province had 284,349 voters. The figure released this period showed an increase of 11,732.
Registration of voters for the May 2010 automated elections was held up to Oct. 31 of this year, the deadline set by COMELEC.
The consolidated report showed that Kalibo, Aklan’s capital town, is still the vote-richest municipality of the province, this time with 43,020, followed by Ibajay, with 24,063 and New Washington, with 22,775. In the Sept. 2009 record of COMELEC Aklan, these towns had 41,400, 22,990 and 21,218 registered voters respectively.
Other towns and their respective number of voters are Altavas, 13,800; Balete, 16,723; Banga, 21,380; Batan, 17,820; Buruanga, 10,522; Lezo, 7,877; Libacao, 14,765; Madalag, 11,075; Makato, 15,266; Malay, 19,806; Malinao, 13,424; Nabas, 15,177; Numancia, 17,425 and Tangalan, 11,163.
As of October 19, 2009 ERB Hearing, COMELEC-Aklan records show that there are 10,247 new registration, 2,859 transferees from another city/municipality; 3 reactivation with transfer and 632 reactivation.
Applications approved by the ERB reached 13,741 with Kalibo having the highest number with 1,710 followed by New Washington with 1,692; Banga, 1,272, Batan, 1,210; and Ibajay, 1,151. The rest of Aklan towns had figures below 1,000.
The COMELEC records also showed that as of the period, Aklan has a total of 768 deactivated voters, 394 registration records cancelled because of death, 798 registration records transferred to another city or municipality.
For the May 2010 first-ever automated elections in the country, Aklan has 2,054 established precincts and 667 clustered precincts in its 327 barangays. (PIA)
DTI sets training on jams, jelly making in Bacolod City
The one-day training is expected to produce processed tamarind balls, ube jalea, mango jam, passion fruit marmalade, and jackfruit pastilles.
The training will be held at the Negros Occidental Technology and Livelihood Development Center, formerly the KADIWA Center, along Gatuslao Street, Bacolod City.
The organizers will be charging a P500 participation fee per participant to cover the costs of meals, training materials and training kit.
Participants are encouraged to bring aprons, hair nets, and other necessary gadgets for hygienic purposes. (PIA/cad)
Negros Occidental school voted RP’s most sustainable, eco-friendly
Iloilo City (16 November) — The La Castellana National High School in La Castellana, Negros Occidental emerged as the most sustainable and eco-friendly among secondary schools in the country for this year, 2009.
This was confirmed by Amelita Guillergan, Chief, Environmental Education and Information Section of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources VI (DENR) to the Philippine Information Agency.
Guillergan disclosed that La Castellana National High School was adjudged as the top winner in the high school level of the “National Search for Sustainable and Eco-friendly Schools”.
Launched early this year, the “National Search for Sustainable and Eco-friendly Schools” was organized by the DENR through its EMB, Department of Education, Commission and Higher Education and Smart Communications.
The search seeks to recognize efforts of various schools to undertake eco-friendly programs and activities and encourage schools and academic institutions to become more actively involved in environmental issues at practical and local level.
It also intends to develop skills and understanding among students, faculty and school administrators to initiate active responses and increase community awareness and involvement on environmental concerns.
The contest which is anchored on the theme, “Sustainable and Eco-friendly Initiatives” this year has three categories – elementary, secondary and tertiary.
The awarding ceremony will be on November 19, 2009 at the SM City North Edsa in Quezon City as part of the National Environmental Awareness Month this November pursuant to Republic Act No. 9512 or the Environmental Awareness and Education Act.
La Castellana National High School and other top winners will receive P50,000 and a plaque of recognition.
Guillergan said Western Visayas was represented by Ara-al Elementary School in La Carlota and Asia Elementary School in Hinoba-an, all from the province of Negros Occidental, in the elementary level while West Negros University in Bacolod City represented the region in the tertiary level. (PIA/EMB)
Tungro virus hits Antique rice farms
San Jose, Antique (16 November) — A total of P8.5 million pesos is estimated lost in the worst tungro virus infestation that hit Antique farmlands.
This estimate is based on the average of 85 cavans per hectare at 11 pesos per kilogram by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).
According to Provincial IPM Coordinator Rogelio Crespo, the virus was last seen in this scale sometime during 1982. It is one of the most harmful diseases for rice plants, attacking in all stages of development and is more dangerous to young rice plants.
The municipality of Sibalom lost more than 3.7 million pesos, while the municipality of Barbaza lost more than 2.4 million pesos. Other towns that suffered same infestation are San Jose, San Remegio, Belison, Patnongon, Bugasong, Valderrama, Tibiao, Pandan and Hamtic.
The Rice Tungro Virus (RTV) is spread by the green and zigzag leaf hoppers, common pests in rice paddies. They get the virus from cropped stems of infected plants, kulitis, and other weeds and grasses in farm lands and transfer them to growing and mature rice plants by sucking out their sap, thereby inoculating the plant with the virus.
Symptoms of infected rice include abnormal development, yellowish discoloration of the leaves and small, light rice grains.
The OPA also issued several recommendations for managing the disease like discouraging three cropping a year for communities with confirmed infection, synchronous planting for communities or whole barangays and plowing infected seedbeds and eliminating weeds that serve as hosts for the RTV organism, to name a few. (pio_antique/PIA)
Capiz PNP launches BPATs
by A. Lumaque
Roxas City (16 November) — Capiz Police Provincial Office (CPPO) has launched the Barangay Peace Keeping Actions Teams (BPAT) to intensify its peacekeeping efforts in the province last Nov. 10 at Capiz Gym here.
Seventeen BPATs representing pilot barangays of Roxas City and different municipalities provincewide took the oath as part of the launching and first meeting of the Capiz People’s Congress.
Each team is composed of a Barangay Chairman and seven tanods under the supervision of the local police’s chief and Police Community Relations Police Non-Commissioned Officer (PCR PNCO.)
These peacekeeping teams will assist authorities in the implementation of its crime prevention programs by reporting potential peace and order problems to village or police officials.
Capiz Gov. Victor A. Tanco led the oath taking as guest speaker of the simple oathtaking rites.
“These tanods are laudable because they serve for free,” Tanco noted, as he also cited the provincial government’s programs and assistance for the barangay peacekeepers and health workers under his administration.
For his part, Capiz Police Director Senior Supt. Josepheus Angan laid down the basis and concept for the creation of the BPATs while the tanods lined up at the stage for the swearing in activity.
The CPPO initiative is in line with President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo’s Executive Order No. 546 which authorizes the Philippine National Police to deputize the barangay tanods as force multipliers in the fight against criminality, insurgency and terrorism. (PIA)
Antique senior citizens launch 6th provincial congress
San Jose, Antique (16 November) — The 6th Provincial Senior Citizens Congress kicked off on October 28th at Tobias Fornier town here. Hundreds of yellow-clad senior citizens from all over Antique witnessed the commencement of the 2-day event.
The senior citizens and war veterans enjoyed getting acquainted with each other through ballroom dancing, the chief activity for the first day of the event.
A parade attended by the senior citizens of the different clusters and special guests marked the beginning of yesterday’s festivities, which ended last night with a ribbon-cutting and turning-over ceremony for the newly built Senior Citizens Center.
Vice Governor Rhodora Cadiao said that she is pleased that the affair was not tainted with politics. “Our senior citizens do not have time for bickering politicians. We should heed their wisdom and follow their example”, she stated in her speech.
Governor Salvacion Perez could not agree more. “We need your guidance and wisdom. And my dream is that every town have a senior citizen center”, she affirmed.
Governor Perez also gave a check worth Php 300,000 to the delegates from Sebaste town as assistance in the construction of their own senior citizen center. She also gave financial assistance to various projects in other towns. (pio_antique/PIA)
DOLE prepares for Kabataan ITO launching in Capiz
by A. Lumaque
Roxas City (22 October) — Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) – Provincial Office will conduct an orientation for the mentors of its another livelihood generation project on October 23 here.
The project dubbed Kabataan ITO (Information Technology Opportunities) is set to be launched in the province in November, said Public Employment Service Office (PESO) – Roxas City Manager Mila Barquin.
It will mobilize IT-literate unemployed or underemployed youth as mentors to some 1,500 out-of-school youths (OSYs), informal sector (IS) workers and other disadvantaged groups in the region through lessons on basic and practical computer operations and to supervise online access to government programs and services.
The mentors or teachers in the project will be youth aged 18-24 who are graduates or graduating students of high school or technical-vocational or college courses and willing to render volunteer community services.
“A modest stipend of P25 per hour will be paid by DOLE for the youth mentors,” Barquin noted.
The DOLE in the region has set aside about P1 million for the project designed to teach young Filipinos knowledge and skills in basic information technology without joining the formal education system. (PIA)
4-H Club young farmers receives assistance
Bacolod City (22 October) — Negros Occidental Gov. Isidro Zayco led local officials in the turn-over of P250,000, a total financial assistance to young farmers of 4-H Club development program, recently.
The amount is funded by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI)-Regional Training Center 6 in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture(DA) Regional Field Office Unit 6 and the provincial government of Negros Occidental through the farm home extension services of the Home Management and Nutrition Division, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).
Each of the five identified 4-H Club recipients obtained a check worth P50,000 that will be used to support the organization’s integrated farming system (IFS) project.
Recipients were Loui Lagunday of HAYO 4-H Club in Brgy. Robles, La Castellaña; Nico Maria Lozada of SAABA 4-H Club in Had. San Antonio I, Tortosa, Manapla; Ronald James Aluyen of Sipalay 4-H Club in Brgy. Gil Montilla, Sipalay City; Juvy dela Cruz of Bagonbon 4-H Club in San Carlos City and Rey Gregorio of Brgy. Binubuhan Youth Organization in Bago City. (PIA/cad)
Tacloban media laud city dad’s info drive on radio
Tacloban City (October 22) — The local media cited Hon. Sambo Yaokasin for his quick action to the request for the City of Tacloban to utilize a part of its radio programs in informing the people about the important ordinances that the Sangguniang Panglungsod has passed.
During the SP weekly session on Wednesday afternoon, Honorable Sambo proposed and unanimously approved by the august body, a resolution requesting that a portion of the City’s radio programs be allotted in informing the people about the City ordinances.
The request was made during last week’s Harampang Ha PIA, where Honorable Sambo was invited as guest in order to clarify the public’s questions about certain issues like collecting fees for motorcades, installation of streamers or tarpaulins, among others.
The local media noted that the City Government has blocked many time slots in the local radio stations. To make the about P200,000 monthly expenses worth spending for the radio programs, such should be used for the benefit of the people of Tacloban, the media added.
Honorable Yaokasin agreed with the media saying that their observation was valid. He also assured the media that in the next SP session, he will propose a resolution to that effect.
He said that the ordinance which calls for payment of specific rates for the motorcade and the hanging of tarpaulins and streamers in the City of Tacloban was passed in the year 2005 yet.
Unfortunately, not all people of aware about this yet. Thus, the move to include the discussion and explanation about important City ordinances in the radio programs of the City government, is indeed a welcomed news. (PIA 
