Tacurong celebrates opening of 3rd Business Week

            (July 31, 2012) A festive mood welcomed Tacurongnons and guests during the opening ceremonies of the 3^rd SULONG Tacurong Business Week on July 30, 2012 at the City Hall Grounds. The event is themed Sustaining Unlimited Livelihood Opportunities by Nurturing the Growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Messages of support from Mayor Lina O. Montilla and leaders of partner agencies and organizations highlighted the ceremonies.

In attendance were Department of Trade and Industry-Sultan Kudarat Director Nelly Nita N. Dillera, Provincial Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SMED) Council and Sultan Kudarat Chamber of Commerce President Erwin Garcia, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President Silvestre Llanto, Sultan Kudarat Association of Public and Private Technical Institutions (SKAPPTI) President Dr. Bonifacio Valdez, Sultan Kudarat Enterpreneurs Association (SKEA) President Cornelio Castaneda, SEA-K Federation President Desiderio Dumas, Tacurong Market Vendors Association (TaMaVA) President Antonio Diamante, and DILG City Director Alberto Sero Jr.        

   

The ceremonies served as a festive kickoff of the weeklong event which will share information, market strategies, and opportunities for present and potential investors and entrepreneurs in the city. DTI-Sultan Kudarat Director Nelly Nita N. Dillera was emphatic about involving students in events such as this. “This is event is an opportunity to show how vast our resources are in the province and in this city. We should involve the youth because they will be the future entrepreneurs,” said Director Dillera.

Mr. Cornelio Castaneda, SKEA President, laid out a challenge not only to the business sector but also to the whole citizenry. “I believe it is high time to renew our values. This is necessary to sustain our development and revive industries that have been sleeping,” said Mr Castaneda.  

Meanwhile, Mayor Montilla expressed her gratitude to Tacurong’s partners in improving the city’s business sector: “I thank PNP, Philippine Army, our volunteers for maintaining peace and order; DTI for supporting our business efforts; for the officials and the people for their commitment. Hindi natin maaabot ang estadong ito kung wala ang suporta ng bawat isa,” the Mayor said.

The City Government expects that the annual conduct of the Tacurong Business Week will help the city generate more employment opportunities by attracting more investors and improving the status of local businesses. “SULONG Tacurong will always strive to come up with strategies to make business here more convenient yet productive,” said Bishop David Salazar, Head of Tacurong Investment Assistance Center.

Among the activities lined up for the Business Week are the Sultan Kudarat Producers and Young Entrepreneurs Fair (July 30-August 3), skills trainings and seminars, and the Investment Forum and Awarding Ceremonies (August 1) of outstanding entrepreneurs, businessmen and vendors.

                  The event will culminate on August 3, 2012, back-to-back with the city’s Barangay Day celebration. (Jezereel Louise C. Billano)

Residents laud ‘City Hall sa Brgy.’ in Rajah Muda

(July 30, 2012) Myla Obeja, 28 years old, planned to take her two children to Poblacion, Tacurong City on July 27, 2012. Her youngest was suffering from cough and colds so she decided to take him for a check-up. Fortunately, she was able to pass by their barangay hall. “Nakalimutan ko na sinabihan pala kami nung isang araw na pupunta ngayon ang mga taga-city hall dito sa barangay,” Myla said. While waiting for her kids’ turn for the free medical check-up, Myla was also able to avail of free vegetable seeds from the City Agriculture Office. “Salamat kasi pumunta sila dito sa amin. Makakapag pacheck-up kami ng libr, nakakuha pa ako ng mga binhi na pwede kong itanim at pang-konsumo naming pamilya,” she added.

            Aside from senior citizens, mothers, and children, young jobseekers also benefitted from the conduct of ‘City Hall sa Barangay’ in Rajah Muda. KCC Mall of Marbel employment caravan joined the activity, hiring 9 new employees in one day. Among them were Razel Janeo of Brgy. Rajah Muda and Daniel Pascua. Daniel went all the way from Poblacion because he could not afford to lose the opportunity: “Para sa akin, magandang opportunity ito.. ang pagpunta nila sa barangay dahil mas madali ang proseso para sa mga naghahanap ng trabaho at mas malapit pa.”

Through the ‘City Hall sa Barangay’ Project in Rajah Muda, 1,444 individuals were served, including residents from neighboring Barangays New Passi, Baras, and Upper Katungal. Aside from city hall employees, troops of the Philippine Army and PNP Tacurong were also present to offer assistance. Rajah Muda is one of the farthest barangays from the Poblacion. Thus, City Hall sa Barangay proved to be a practical service strategy.   (Jezeerel Louise C. Billano)     

Tacurong City to hold 3rd SULONG Business Week

The Provincial Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council (PSMEDC) is set to carry out the 3^rd SULONG Tacurong Business Week from July 30 – August 03, 2012. Skills enhancement, resources mobilization, investments and business opportunities will be given emphasis all throughout this event.

DTI Provincial Director Nelly Dillera, head Secretariat of the PSMEDC said, Sulong Tacurong, dubbed from Sustaining Unlimited Livelihood Opportunities by Nurturing Growth of SMEs, seeks to boost business and investments in the City. The line up of activities includes Investment Forum, Producers’/Young Entrepreneurs’ and Barangay Agro-Industrial Fair, Entrepreneurial Seminar, Skills Training, Awards and Recognition, Market Matching, TESDA Field Day, Culinary Competition, Diskwento Caravan and the Barangay Day Celebration.

The centerpiece of the celebration shall be the Investment Forum where the Local Investments and Incentives Code shall be presented by Tacurong City Investment Assistance Center or TIAC Manager Dave Salazar. Tax holidays and real property tax holidays await investors in the identified priority areas of Tacurong City which include Livestock production; Processing of sugarcane, coffee, oil palm, banana; Oil palm and rubber plantation and nursery development; BPO services like call center, medical transcription; tourism facilities like hotels, function rooms, leisure facilities and souvenir items production; fresh pond development; engineered bamboo; commercial buildings; and housing facilities.

Launched entrepreneurs of roasted and ground coffee and muscovado that are now selling nationwide and abroad, shall play a part at the Producers’ Fair. Other fascinating products are the twined and braided water hyacinth turned into different kinds of bags and other innovative stuffs which were presented during last years’ National Trade Fair in Manila and will partake in this years’ Mindanao Trade Expo in Davao City. There will also be foodstuffs and craft items using the abundant resources available all over the municipalities of Sultan Kudarat.

Scheduled seminars on Good Manufacturing Practices, 5Ss of Good Housekeeping Standards, Entrepreneurial Mindset, Pricing and Costing, Basic Bookkeeping and Packaging and Labelling targets to explain the basics and assist newly established businesses.

Intended at creating entrepreneurs in the city and barangays, a series of technology training shall be conducted in partnership with Tacurong Investment Assistance Center- LGU Tacurong. These trainings aim to enhance and broaden businessman’s existing business horizon while serving as eye opener for the new entrants. The local resources, skills and marketability were considered in identifying the training to be conducted. Along with these are powdered vegetable production, essential oil production (for spa and massage), healthy bakery foods production and feeds production using banana.

As part of the week long activity, local entrepreneurs who have made significant contribution to the economic development of the city shall be acknowledged through the awarding of Outstanding Businessman, Outstanding Entrepreneur and Outstanding Market Vendor.

There shall also be TESDA Field Day to be conducted. This includes skills competition on fruit carving and table skirting, technopreneurship program, awarding of tools and kits and awarding of scholarship.

As a fitting conclusion of the event, a culinary competition on native delicacies celebrating the many skills and resources of the city shall be showcased. It is open to all interested participants within the surrounding municipalities. This closing shall also be highlighted by the Tacurong City Barangay Day.

 SULONG Tacurong is staged by the Provincial Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council (PSMEDC) chaired by the Local Chamber and composed of LGU-Tacurong, DTI-SK as Secretariat, DOST, City Tourism, TESDA, DOLE and the various industry associations in the city./Arianne T. Apatan – DTI-SK 

Seminar series on values formation and teambuilding kicks off

(July 20, 2012) Human Resource Management Office of LGU-Tacurong conducted values formation and teambuilding seminar on July 17, 2012 among City Agriculture Office and General Services Office employees. This is the first batch of the series of teambuilding seminars for city hall employees in 2012. The activity is themed Working Together as a Team, Together Everyone Achieves More. Sister Lucy P. Jontongco OND, In-Charge of the Sacred Heart Pastoral Center, was tapped to serve as the resource speaker and facilitator. 

Participants gone through various exercises on self-reflection, team dynamics, and work ethics. “It is not every day that we are able to express our emotions. We are able to get to know our colleagues more,” said agricultural technologist Lisa Parreno.

With the said activity, Mayor Lina O. Montilla looks forward to a more empowered workforce in the city hall. “I will give extra attention to the behavior and attitude of employees especially on dealing with our clients. We aim to excel in public service with a high level of morality,” the Mayor said during the opening program.

All city hall employees will be subject to the one-day seminar. “Schedule of this seminar stretches to October of this year to cater all city offices,” said Diane Guadalupe, HRMO training coordinator. (Jezereel Louise C. Billano)

Business groups to help LGU in job generation

(Tacurong City) Administrators and Human Resource Department personnel of twenty business establishments based in the City of Tacurong vowed to help the Local Government Unit (LGU) generate more employment for the city’s jobseekers.

In a meeting called by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the LGU’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) on July 12, 2012, said establishments pledged to regularly submit list of their job vacancies to PESO.

The business groups’ commitment came in the wake of Sangguniang Panlungsod’s passage of a resolution enjoining business establishments in Tacurong to submit list of their job vacancies to PESO.

Atty. Benjamin Fajardo, Jr., Chairperson of SP Committee on Labor and Employment and author of said resolution, told the group during the meeting that by furnishing the PESO of their vacancies, jobseekers could spare themselves of time and money supposed to be spent in tiring job hunts.

Josephine Raras, Human Resource Department Head of St. Louis Hospital, commended the initiative of the DOLE and LGU saying that with this initiative, job-hunters could easily locate in a common and accessible venue jobs that are available in the labor market. “Through PESO, we could even advertise our job hiring for free”, said Ms. Raras.

The meeting already produced good result that very same day. Ms. Mary Caroline Toreta, Store Accountant of Talakudong Food Corporation, franchise holder of Jollibee, informed the PESO that their store is opening job applications and screenings for food clerks every Monday. Ms. Toreta said that applicants can go straight to their store on the given schedule although it would be better if they could secure first referrals from the PESO before applying.

Aside from Jollibee and St. Louis Hospital, other establishments represented during the meeting and vowed to help the LGU in job generation included Betalac Construction & General Merchandise, Cho-Ven Shell Station, COSEDA Security Services, Ezra Shell Station, Immacon Auto Parts & Calibration Center, Kimsan Plaza Corporation, MUTI,  and Sultan Kudarat Telephone System, Incorporated.

Other establishments that were also represented included Notre Dame of Tacurong College, Partner Rural Bank, R & I Marketing, RAQI Builder Construction & Supply, Sandig Medical Clinic & Hospital, STI College of Tacurong, Swana Mercantile, SUMIFRU, Valdez Mother & Child, and Tacurong Shang-Shang Marketing.

Meanwhile, highlighted also during the meeting was the introduction of the Phil-Jobnet and the Skills Registry System (SRS) to the said business establishments. Phil-Jobnet is an automated job and applicant matching system that aims to fast-track jobseekers’ search for jobs and employers’ search for manpower; while SRS is a national database registry system that links the country’s active labor supply with the current manpower demands both locally and abroad.

Establishments were also assisted in the on line registration to Phil-Jobnet as well as the offline registration to SRS. (LGU Tacurong Information)

Tacurong Police recognized as one of the country’s best

Tacurong City Police Station (TCPS) is one of the top 3 Best Component City Police Stations in 2011 as recognized by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Main Headquarters.  TCPS vies with San Fernando, La Union and Sta. Rosa, Laguna Police Stations in claiming the title as the country’s best for the component city category. Consequently, TCPS Chief Gilberto Tuzon is one of the top 5 Chiefs of Police (COP) in the country and the only one recognized in Mindanao.

PNP Field Evaluation and Validation Team headed by Police Director Ager P. Ontog assessed TCPS on July 12, 2012. COP Tuzon presented TCPS best practices that contributed to the decrease of the city’s crime rate in 2011. Evaluators lauded the TCPS best practices and its involvement in environmental and social activities. Best practices were Oplan RePazo, Oplan Bitag Sasakyan, rewards system for best performing personnel, regular zoning operations, establishment of radio network, regular conduct of stakeholder dialogue, and regular meeting with intelligence units, among others.

They were also impressed with the cooperation of the police and the local government. “The LGU provided us handheld radios so each of us now have one. Communication and response is better every day and during emergency situations,” said COP Tuzon. Other necessary equipment and rewards are also provided by the LGU. “I saw good relationship of LGU and police. Maraming nang mas naunang syudad sa inyo ngunit ipinakita ninyo ang pagsasamahan at kooperasyon at ngayon isa kayo sa pinakamatatag na contender,” said Police Director Ontog. TCPS success in mitigating crimes and threats to peace and order is also attributed to the support of Philippine Army and civilian volunteers.

TCPS also conducted K-9 drills and simulated a hostage taking crisis which included negotiations, bomb dispersal, rescue, and investigation. Units of the City Crisis Management Council and Mayor Lina O. Montilla participated during the said simulation.

Mayor Montilla took pride on TCPS: I know that we will be able to effect positive changes in our society by motivating and inspiring others to emulate our actions as all of these are geared towards the good of our people.

In 2010, TCPS was recognized as among the top 3 Best Component City Police Stations, nationwide. Mayor Lina was also distinguished by the Region XII headquarters as the Most Supportive Local Chief Executive.

Results for the 2011 search for best PNP units and personnel will be announced in August during the celebration of PNP Day. (Jezereel Louise C. Billano)

City sustains Anti Red Tape Act implementation

(July 13, 2012) Tacurong City government offices were inspected on July 11-12, 2012 in accordance to the LGU’s continuous and strict implementation of the Anti Red Tape Act (ARTA).  

Anti Red Tape Act or An Act to Improve Efficiency in the Delivery of Government Service to the Public by Reducing Bureaucratic Red Tape Preventing Graft and Corruption, and Providing Penalty Thereof, was promulgated by RA 9845.

            Each city unit was evaluated based on the availability of office information such as organizational and functional charts, service standards, relevant signages, etc. Office ergonomics and availability of necessary equipment were also evaluated. Actual clients were also interviewed to assess each office’s human relations and customer service.

According to Mr. Tomas R. Robles, Head of the city’s Citizen Charter Team, the ARTA evaluation will be conducted quarterly. In May 2012, Mayor Lina O. Montilla signed the Administrative Order 01-2012 directing the team to monitor the implementation and sustainability of Tacurong’s Citizen Charter. “Our compliance with ARTA must always be ensured. So far, offices are well-manned and customers’ feedbacks are good. Of course, there are still rooms for improvement but I believe we are on the right track,” said Mr. Robles.

Tacurong Citizens’ Charter and the Citizens’ Charter Team were created in 2009 to establish effective practices to achieve transparency in the city’s operations and services. 

In 2010, the CSC awarded Tacurong with a Seal of Excellence for being one of the six performing local government units in the Philippines. CSC commended Tacurong for its compliance with ARTA requirements. (Jezereel Louise C. Billano)

LGU opens 15th Inter-Office Sports Fest

           (July 5, 2012) Tacurong City officials and employees marched around town for the opening of the 15^th LGU Inter-Office Palaro and Socio-Cultural Program or LIPS XV on July 4, 2012. The event is themed: Be Involved, Be in Sports: A Way to One’s Healthy Lifestyle.

City Mayor Lina Montilla officially opened the event during a ceremony after the parade. She cheered with the teams and encouraged everyone to be involved: “I am so glad that we have this time to release our extra energies. I hope that the competitions will not create gaps but bridges. Let us make sure that sports will help us develop a better character as a public servant,” the Mayor said.

            Tacurong Employees’ Association (TACEA) President Amelia Bochorno thanked the employees for their cooperation. She also emphasized the importance of ‘balance of work and play.’ “We are looking forward that LIPS XV activities will help us promote and maintain productive individuals in our workforce,” Bochorno said.

            Aside from inspirational words, yells and dance rhythms resonated during the opening of the three-day sports fest. The cheerdance competition was one of the day’s highlights as each of the four contending teams wowed the crowd with their moves and costumes. In the end, the Purple Team bagged the gold. Teams Gray, Red, and Gold won second, third, and fourth, respectively.

The Palarong Pinoy and some ball games were also conducted on the first day. Team members and players’ enthusiasm reflects their eagerness to advance or maintain their ranks for the overall championship.

Closing and awarding ceremonies will be held on July 6, 2012. (Jezereel Louise C. Billano)

City celebrates National Disaster Consciousness Month

(July 2, 2012) The City Government of Tacurong conducted a kick-off ceremony for the National Disaster Consciousness Month on July 2, 2012. Executive Order 137 of 1999 declares July as National Disaster Consciousness Month to increase Filipinos’ awareness on natural and man-made disasters.

The government gives due attention to disaster prevention and mitigation by conducting information and education campaigns, especially in disaster-prone communities. Tacurong City had already conducted seminars for the said purpose. One of the most recent activities was a two-day Roll-out training on barangay disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), and climate change adaptation. The training was participated in by 132 barangay officials and school administrators.

According to DILG City Director Alberto P. Sero Jr., the government had also devised other mechanisms to increase awareness. “Maari na rin nating magamit ang Internet upang lalo tayong maging handa. Ang DOST at PAG-ASA ay naglunsad ng Project NOAH kung saan maari nating makita ang lagay ng panahon sa lahat ng dako ng bansa,” Director Sero said.  Project NOAH or Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (noah.dost.gov.ph) allows one to view live satellite images of cities and towns including flood maps, status of weather stations, stream and rain gauges, and rain probability through different Doppler stations.

During the ceremony, Mayor Montilla stressed that Tacurong continues to strive for higher excellence in disaster risk reduction and management. DILG XII had already endorsed the City to receive the Seal of Good Housekeeping for Disaster Preparedness. To add, the Tacurong City Responsive Assistance and Coordinated Emergency Search and Rescue (TRACER) had been selected as national contender for Gawad KALASAG 2012-Government Emergency Response Management-Basic Search and Rescue Category. “Dapat natin ipagpatuloy ang maganda nating nasimulan. Patunayan natin na tayo ay karapat-dapat sa mga parangal na iginagawad sa atin,” Mayor Montilla stated.

The ceremony also included a prayer for calamity victims and releasing of balloons symbolizing four key areas of DRRM: disaster prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation and recovery.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) had already lined up activities for the month-long celebration. (Jezereel Louise C. Billano)