Tacurongnons switch off lights during Earth Hour

(April 5, 2012) The city government of Tacurong spearheaded the observance of Earth Hour 2012 in the City of Tacurong, which gathered the participation of several constituents who switched off their lights for at least an hour on March 31.

An hour before switch off, a program transpired at the city hall ground attended by more than a hundred individuals. City Mayor Lina Montilla led the city officials and employees in the program participated by the personnel of Department of Education, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, Girl Scout of the Philippines, Civil Society Organizations, catholic priests, and other groups.

During the program, an overview on the observance of Earth Hour was given by Sangguniang Panlungsod Environment Committee Chairperson Psyche Sucaldito. Video documentaries on climate change were also shown. During the switch off at 8:30 PM, the participants to the program lighted candles and arranged themselves forming the image of 60+.

As part of its participation, Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative cut off the power supply in the area for thirty minutes starting at 8:30PM.

Mayor Lina Montilla, speaking during the program, said that it is high time that each of us contributes in mitigating the effects of climate change because Mindanao has already suffered its terrible effects. “The typhoon that struck Northern Mindanao was a perfect example of the devastating effects of climate change”, the mayor said. “Prior to the typhoon, Mindanao has been typhoon-free for long decades; but now, we are very vulnerable”.

This is already the second year that the City of Tacurong joined in the observance of Earth Hour. Councilor Sucaldito hopes that more people would become advocates of energy conservation and that more people would do their share of saving Mother Earth even beyond Earth Hour. (Allan Freno)

Lokal na pamahalaan, inatasan ang mga business owners na magsumite ng job vacancies sa PESO

(April 4, 2012) Magiging mas malawak na ang oportunidad na makapaghanap ng trabaho ang mga jobseekers sa lungsod ng Tacurong matapos na pumasa ng isang resolusyon ang Sangguniang Panlungsod na nag-aatas sa mga nagmamay-ari ng negosyo sa lungsod ng Tacurong na magsumite ng listahan ng kanilang job vacancies sa tanggapan ng Public Employmernt Service Office o PESO.

 Ang naturang resolusyon ay ipinasa ni Konsehal Benjamin Fajardo Jr., chairperson ng SP Committee on Labor and Employment, at may pamagat na “Resolution requesting, through the Office of the City Mayor, all business establishments operating in the City of Tacurong to submit a list of their existing job vacancies and placement report to the Public Employment Service office (PESO) and post them in conspicuous places and giving preference for employment to qualified applicants coming from the City of Tacurong”. Naipasa ang naturang resolusyon sa regular session ng SP na ginanap noong ikapito ng Marso.

 Sa pamamagitan ng resolusyong ito, ang mga naghahanap ng trabaho sa lungsod ay maari nang makipag-ugnayan sa tanggapan ng LGU-Tacurong PESO para malaman kung anong mga business establishments sa lungsod ang may bakanteng trabaho. Ang PESO ang kahalili ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) sa pagpapatupad ng labor and employment programs sa isang lokalidad.

Sinabi ni Konsehal Fajardo na isa sa malalim na suliranin ng ating lipunan ay ang mataas na antas ng kawalan ng trabaho o unemployment. “Ang kawalan din ng pagkakataon para s amga naghahanap ng trabaho na malaman kung saan may bakanteng trabaho ay isa din sa mga problema at ito ang nais nating bigyan ng pansin”, dagdag ni Konsehal Fajardo.

Noong ikadalawampu ng Marso ay nalagdaan na ni City Mayor Lina Montilla ang naturang resolusyon. Nakatakda na ring magpadala ng sulat ang kanyang tanggapan sa mga business owners and operators para ipaabot ang nilalaman ng resolusyon. Inatasan na rin ng alkalde ang PESO na makipag-ugnayan sa DOLE-Sultan Kudarat Field Office hinggil sa resolusyon.

Samantala, pinuri ng tanggapan ng DOLE ang hakbang na ginawa ng lokal na pamahalaan. Ayon kay DOLE-SK Field Officer Arlene Bisnon, inaaasahan niya na mas lalo pang mapadali ng mga naghahanap ng trabaho ang kanilang ‘job hunting’ sa sandaling may listahan na ang PESO ng mga job vacancies sa lungsod. (LGU Information)

Tacurong Team seizes Araw ng Dabaw Dance Sport Competition over-all championship

Tacurong Dance Sport Team’s victory in the 75^th Araw ng Dabaw Open Dance Sport Latin Team Match & Demonstration on March 21 at the activity center of Abreeza Mall Davao City came as no surprise as the team exhibits its innate grace in seizing the over-all crowns in every competition they invade.

The Tacurong Team thrashed four other teams including that of the host’s team, Davao City. Panabo City and Ateneo dance sport teams placed first and second runner up, respectively.

According to City Dance Sport Coordinator Josephine M. Ubaldo, she always makes sure that the dancers give their best during each performance. Consequently, she said that it’s giving honor to our very own Tacurong so there must be nothing to spoil.

With Ms. Ubaldo’s guidance and the dancer’s determination and hardwork, they garnered these results which brought them to the top:

1^st Place -  Adult Category - Aian Jame Bedico & Kristine Lou Sitjar

                                                  Richard Bonnin Sol & Jennifer Umayan

                                                  Eric Sol & Cristy Narcilla

                                                  Romel Pama & Rose Ann Gestopac

2^nd Place - Youth Category - Daniel Plantig & April Charlene Ramos

1^st Place - Junior Category - Guillius Levi Pitogo & Ira Asalliah Andrade

                                                Lord Leendon Apostol & Ayessa Christianne Delgado

                                                David Angelo Clavaton & Noilyn May Bayya

Mayor Lina Montilla expressed her appreciation and commendation with this honor that the Tacurong Dance Sport Team once again shared with the City of Goodwill. She said that this is one of the reasons why the City Government of Tacurong doesn’t tire itself in supporting the great talents of its people.

Moreover, according to Mayor Montilla, this triumph is a manifestation of the undying assistance and sustenance of the city government to the different sports and recreations of its constituents. (Jessa Billano - LGU Tacurong)

The dancers in their winning moves. Photos by Karina Mae Pamplona-Maribao

Skills Registry System gets huge welcome in Tacurong

(Tacurong City-March 22, 2012) - If one hundred percent attendance to the Skills Registry System (SRS) orientation was any indication, Tacurong City gave an impression that the program gets big support from its barangay officials.

Officials of all the twenty barangays of Tacurong, led by their respective chairperspons, attended the one-day SRS orientation conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office 12 on February 28, 2012.

One of the flagship programs of President Noynoy Aquino, the SRS is a nationwide manpower skills registration system which provides adequate and available supply of labor. DOLE is the implementing agency of the program in partnership with Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) of Local Government Units (LGU).

DOLE Sultan Kudarat Field Office organized the SRS orientation, which also signaled the launching of the program in Tacurong City. City Mayor Lina Montilla and Sangguniang Panlungsod Labor and Employment Committee Chairperson Benjamin Fajardo Jr. joined the participants in the said activity.

Newly-installed DOLE 12 Director Chona Mantilla and Assistant Regional Director Yahya Senti also arrived and greeted the participants. Director Mantilla, in her message, even commended the barangay officials for their one hundred percent attendance to the orientation.

Essentially, SRS reduces job search period and increases the employability of workers and jobseekers looking for opportunities without really going through the tiring process of personally knocking at the employers’ doors.

            Supervising Labor and Employment Officer Evelyn Libot of DOLE 12, one of the lecturers of the orientation, emphasized the significance of the SRS to the barangays saying that jobseekers from these areas are the farthest from the radar of the employers.

“Through SRS, the government is bridging the gap between the jobseekers and the employers as well as address the problem of jobs mismatch”, Libot said. She added that, in SRS, the data of a jobseeker is encoded in the software and after which, all data are uploaded to the PhilJobnet website for online perusal of employers.

Meanwhile, the barangay officials who attended the orientation were very receptive to the SRS program. Barangay Tina Chairperson Maria Lourdes Bogador hopes that the SRS would truly address the problem of unemployment in her barangay. “Since many of our skilled workers do not have access to computer and the internet, the SRS will be a great help for our unemployed constituents”, she said.

Provision of desktop computer for SRS

Lending credence to its goal of effectively implementing SRS, DOLE 12 provided PESO-Tacurong City one unit of desktop computer. The computer will be used for encoding the jobseekers’ information using the SRS offline skills registration. The offline data will be sent to the DOLE for online posting using the PhilJobnet.

Mayor Montilla, who personally received the computer, acknowledged the seriousness of the DOLE to implement the SRS by supplementing the system with the hardware and software. “You would not provide complete tools to your partner if you do not want a guarantee for the success of the program. I’m convinced that the DOLE is serious and we need to give our commitment to the SRS program”, Mayor Montilla said. Likewise, the mayor encouraged the barangay officials to actively support SRS in their areas by tenjoining all their skilled workers to register. (Allan Freno)

Anti-smoking ordinance to be enforced in Tacurong

              (March 8, 2012) The City Government of Tacurong is set to enforce an anti-smoking ordinance which aims to protect its constituents from harmful products and encourage them to breathe a healthy lifestyle.

            In line with the provisions of RA No. 8749, otherwise known as the Clean Air Act of 1999 and RA No. 9211, also known as the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, Hon. Psyche M. Sucaldito, Hon. Joseph George L. Lechonsito, and Hon. Benjamin P. Fajardo Jr. sponsored the endorsement of Ordinance No. 13 or the Ordinance Regulating Smoking in Public Places and Prohibiting Smoking for Minors in the City of Tacurong.

            It went through meticulous reviews and after passing the first, second, third and final readings of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, it was submitted to and was approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Sultan Kudarat in accordance with Section 56 of Local Government Code of 1991.

            According to Section 12 of Ordinance No. 13, the Anti-Smoking Ordinance of the City of Tacurong shall take effect 30 days after its approval and publication in a newspaper of local circulation consistent with the provision of the Local Government Code. (Jessa Loreta Billano with report from Myla Muyco)

Tatlong magkahiwalay na ordinansa, inaprubahan ng Sanggunian Panlungsod kahapon

(March 8, 2012) Sa regular session ng Sangguniang Panlungsod kahapon, tatlong magkakahiwalay na ordinansa ang naapruba sa ikatatlo at pinal na pagbasa.

Isa sa mga ordinansang naapruba sa sesyon ay ang Proposed Ordinance Establishing and Regulating the Vegetable and Fruit and Dropping Zone or Bagsakan Center dito sa lungsod sa ilalim ng komitiba ni Konsehal Rodrigo Jamorabon.

Nauna nang tinalakay at naapruba sa ikalawang pagbasa ang nasabing ordinansa sa isinagawang sesyon ng Sanggunian noong Pebrero 22. Isa sa mga layunin ng batas na ito ay upang mapanatili ang kalinisan ng lungsod ng Tacurong lalo na sa pampublikong pamilihan at magkaroon na lamang ng isang lugar kung saan ang bilihan ng mga produkto ay dito na gagawin ng retailers, dealers at wholesalers. Isinasaad sa ordinansa na ang bagsakan center ay ilalagay sa tabi ng public terminal ng lungsod.

Sa kabilang dako, sa ilalim naman ng komitiba ni Konsehal Paulino Ledda, naapruba din sa third and final reading kahapon ang Proposed Ordinance Amending Article V, Section 1 (b), Section 2 (c) and Section 3 (d) ng Ordinance No. 51 Series of 2004 Entitled Tacurong City Integrated Public Terminal. Magugunitang nauna nang nagsagawa ng konsultasyon noong Enero 24 kung saan tinalakay ang pag-amyenda sa nasabing ordinansa ukol sa entrance and exit ng mga pampublikong sasakyan sa public terminal.

Samantala, ang pangatlong ordinansa na naapruba ng Sanggunian kahapon ay ang batas na nag-aamyenda sa Section 5 ng Ordinance No. 2 Series of 2011. Ang ordinansa ay may pamagat na ‘Ordinance Requiring All Pregnant Women in the City of Tacurong to Give Birth at the Birthing Clinic, Rural Health Unit, Barangay HJealth Station and Hospitals at nasa ilalim ng komitiba ni Konsehal Joseph Lechonsito. Isinasaad ng naturang batas na ipinagbabawal na sa mga buntis ang pagsilang ng sanggol sa kanilang mga kabahayan.  (LGU-Information/ with report from Myla Muyco)

Tacurong City to hold audition for hundreds of dancers who will join TV5’s newest reality show

(March 2, 2012) The City of Tacurong, after being officially invited to join TV5’s newest mob dance contest, has manifested its desire to join and will be holding audition for dancers on March 10, 2012.

The dance contest dubbed as ‘Dancing Nation’ is Kapatid Network’s newest reality show. It is a unique, highly-entertaining and well-choreographed mob dance to be participated by invited towns/cities composed of 200 to 300 resident participants per community.

‘Dancing Nation’ is an hour-long television program which aims to showcase communities working together in the spirit of bayanihan to achieve a common goal through their talents.

Winners in weekly live TV performances will be declared and be eligible to perform in the finals. Prizes of the winners shall be used for community projects of their choice. The competing communities shall perform live via remote coverage and the winner of which shall be decided through text votes.

TV5 has formally sent an invitation to Tacurong City last month to be part of the ‘one of a kind’ live show ever to grace local television. The city government of Tacurong, through its Tourism Office, has already tapped a group of choreographers and school representatives to assist in the preparation especially in selection of at least 200 dancers who will perform for the contest.

Audition for the ‘Dancing Nation’ for Tacurong will be at the Tacurong Pilot Elementary School. Audition, which starts at 8:00 in the morning, are open to elementary and high school students as well as the out of school youth. (ASFreno)