News Bits

Ilocos Norte wins Panagbenga

street dance competition
BAGUIO CITY Ilocos Nortes Pamulinawen dance group bested two bets of the province of Benguet in the open
category of the street dancing competition at the annual Flower Festival, here, last weekend.
Pamulinawen, a name of a legendary bird in an epic of the Ilocos province, bested the Itogon Cultural Group
and the Benguet State Universitys Everlasting cultural group by showcasing its best during the field demonstration
which came immediately after the street dancing parade along the citys main thoroughfare.
The winning group from Laoag City, tagged as the countrys Sunshine City and just recently celebrated its
65th foundation day, showcased the grandeur of water in their performance.
The performance depicted the abundance of fish from the sea as a blessing to the local folk and
thanksgiving to the fishermens patron saint, St. Andrew the Apostle.
Itogon Cultural Group, which took first runner-up honors, showed in the field performance the mystical saga
of the Ambawakan a fierce hunter known to one of the major tribes in Benguet
In the secondary category, Baguio City National High School bested the Kalinga Cultural Group and Pinsao
National High School. Mabini Elementary School got the first place in the Elementary category, their second
consecutive year in a row.
Ifugao implements P91 million
development projects
LAGAWE, Ifugao -- A total of P91 million worth of social and economic development infrastructure projects were
implemented in the province last year, the Provincial Engineering Office reported.
The PEO said the amount from provincial governments 2013 and 2014 development fund was used to
complete 559 infrastructure projects in 2014.
Projects included concreting of Lagawe Boliwong road; Pitawan Dalligan, Kiangan canal improvement,
improvement of junction San Fernando Elementary school in Banaue town, Namal Pula road improvement in
Asipulo. -- Marcelo Lihgawon
27 hired for Chico River
environment project
TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- Twenty seven newly hired personnel for the Integrated Natural Resources and Environment
Management Project (INREMP) covering five watershed areas of Chico River were oriented of their functions
recently.
The personnel are officers for watershed management, monitoring and evaluation, geographical information
system, community development, finance analyst, budget assistant, administrative assistant and drivers.
Remedios Ramirez of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said their appointment is
renewable every after six months.
The INREMP is a seven year project of the DENR from 2013 to 2020 which aims to restore watershed
areas in four major upper river basins in the country , namely the Chico River, Wahig-Inabanga in Central Visayas,
Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao, and Lake Danao Watershed in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The INREMP adapts integrated approach on how to harmonize development and conservation issues
especially on biodiversity in watersheds within the river basin.
While proposals and project identification shall emanate from the community, hired personnel are tasked to
perform specific jobs covering management and operation of the project.
In another development, Ramirez said 158 Bantay-Gubat hired by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on
the Peace Process renewed their contracts for 2015. Peter Balocnit
Tabuk City allots P17
million scholarship fund
TABUK CITY, Kalinga The Tabuk City government has allotted P17 million under its educational support program for
poor but deserving college students for School Year 2015-2016.
The amount is higher by P2.6 million over the citys P14.4M scholarship aid for SY 2014-2015 benefitting
3,746 college scholars enrolled in various schools.
Mayor Ferdinand B. Tubban said number of scholars under the program is expected to increase the coming
school year.
Under the program, each scholar receives P3,500/semester cash support for tuition and miscellaneous fees.
To orphan scholars, the program extends additional monthly stipend of P1,000.
To maintain the scholarship, beneficiaries must not have failing grades in any semester.
The program also provides additional cash incentives to performing scholars who graduate as summa-cum
laude (P10,000), magna-cum laude (P7,500), cum laude(P5,000) and with honors(P2,000).

As encouragement to scholars to make good and finish college, graduates with excellent grades are given
hiring priority. -- Larry Lopez
9,907 students in Mt. Province
take National Achievement Test
BONTOC, Mountain province A total of 9,907 students in the province took the National Achievement Test (NAT) for
Grade 3, Grade 6 and Fourth Year High School students this March.
Milton Marrero of the Department of Education Division Office here said 3,748 are Grade 3 students; 3,515
were Grade 6 while 2,644 were fourth year high school students.
Marrero said the NAT was conducted March 5 for fourth year high school, March 11 for Grade 3 and March
12 for Grade 6
The NAT for Grade 6 and 4th Year High School aims to measure the knowledge that students have gained
in their elementary and high school education respectively.
The NAT for Grade 6 focuses on English, Mathematics, Science, Filipino and Araling Panlipunan. The Fourth
Year High School NAT includes English, Mathematics, Science, Filipino and Araling Panlipunan, and critical thinking.
Marrero said the NAT for Grade 3 is the Language Assessment for Primary Grades (LAPG) and focuses on
English, Filipino and the Mother Tongue.
The LAPG aims to establish a baseline data for the Filipino and English language learning in the K to 12
Curriculum; evaluate the effectiveness of the Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) instruction
across 19 languages; establish Mother tongue Language development across Philippine languages in the context of
the MTB-MLE program implementation; compare the performance of Grade 3 pupils on English and Filipino essential
skills; and correlate language development across Early Grades Reading Assessment (EGRA), Early Grades
Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) and language literacy assessment in the primary grades.
Marrero said since Kankanaey is not included in the Mother Tongue list, Grade 3 pupils in the province,
except for some parts of Paracelis where Ilocano learning materials are used, took the test in English and Filipino.
-- Juliet Saley
Ifugao LGUs to employ
855 students this summer
LAGAWE, Ifugao -- Eleven local government units in the province will hire 855 students this summer to do
road and canal maintenance, minor office works and related jobs for 20 days.
The hiring is part of the Special Program for the Employment of Students where LGUs provide 60 percent counterpart
of wages while Department of Labor and Employment provides 40 percent. The program is intended to benefit poor
but deserving students for their educational expenses.
The provincial government pledged to hire 249. The municipality of Aguinaldo committed 96; Asipulo, 80; Tinoc, 65;
Hingyon,60; Banaue,54; Alfonso Lista, 52; Kiangan and Lagawe, 50 each; Mayoyao, 44; Hungduan, 31 and Lamut
with 24.
Employment of students through the SPES is mandated under Republic Act 9547, which aims to help poor
but deserving students pursue their education by hiring them during summer and/or Christmas vacations.
The program is open to qualified high school and college students or those taking up vocational courses.
They must be enrolled during the present school year or term or during the school year or term immediately
preceding summer vacation and must have passing grades. -- Marcelo Lihgawon
Medical mission serves
1,496 patients in Ifugao
LAMUT, Ifugao -- More than one thousand patients were recipients of medical mission here at Panopdopan District
Hospital recently.
The 31-member medical group of Filipino and American doctors, nurses, dentists and support staff served a
total of 1,496 people from municipalities.
The team led by Dr. Conrad Zapanta and Dr. Robert Carpenter brought medicines, supplies and equipment
which were donated for the hospital.
Based on the report of the provincial government, the dental mission served 482 people on ear
consultation 291; consultation and diabetes screening 238; hearing test 117; OB gyne 115 and other illnesses.
Zapanta and Carpenter were part of medical group that conducted the same activity in Lagawe town in
2014. -- Marcelo Lihgawon
DSWD promotes
adoption consciousness
BAGUIO CITY -- Legally share a home and a loving family for a child that is dreaming to have one.

This is the advocacy being promoted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development as it
spearheads Adoption Consciousness celebration this February with the theme, Legal na Ampon Ako, Anak na
Totoo.
DSWD Social Welfare officer Jireh Lyn Attiyen said for Adoption Consciousness Week, they are set to open
an information booth at SM City Baguio and at the Panagbenga 2015 Baguio Blooms at the Lake Drive of Burnham
Park as an IEC (information, education and communication) campaign on legal adoption.
Adoption is defined as a socio-legal process of providing a permanent family to a child whose parents have
voluntarily or involuntarily relinquished parental authority over the child. Legal adoption provides the same mutual
rights and obligations that exist between children and their biological parents.
There are three types of adoption in the Philippines namely; agency adoption wherein a licensed agency
finds and develop adoptive families for children who are voluntary or involuntary committed for adoption; Family or
relative adoption wherethe biological parents make a direct placement of the child to a relative or a member of their
extended family; and private or independent adoption that could either be a direct placement to a family known by the
childs biological parents or through the use of accredited intermediary.
Attiyen said in partnership with the Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Government,
Department of Health and the Philippine Information Agency, and their media partners, DSWD hopes to increase
awareness on legal adoption process. -- Hannah Costales and Kim Tiqui
Filipino runners rule
Pilipinas Akyathlon
ITOGON, Benguet -- Filipino runners ruled the 2015 Pilipinas Akyathlon last week in this town besting over 100
participants from six countries.
Jemarvin Cabilan of the Philippines emerged the over-all champion of the 35.3 kilometer out-and-back race
participated by 119 runners from the United Kingdom, United States, Malaysia, Chile, Denmark and the Philippines.
Baguio girl Sandi Menchi Abahan retained her title as reigning female champion. She attributed her
winning by following her game plan on better phasing and experience.
The winners will represent the country in 29th Mount Kinabalu Skyrunnning race in Malaysia.
Now on its fourth year, this international sporting event is sanctioned by the Philippine Skyrunning
Association.
The 2015 Pilipinas Akyathlon is described as a 36-km out and back race starting from the barangay hall of
Tinongdan. The first 1.7km is a downhill run on paved road to the start of the trail afterwhich it would be mostly uphill
climb to the summit of Mt. Ugo. The route showcases magnificent views of surrounding mountains including portions
of Binga and Ambuklao dams as far away as Pangasinan. The 16.4km route from the summit to the finish is a mirror
image of the start to the summit, then a 1.7 km ascent to the finish line.
Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan expressed his gratitude to the international sporting event organizers for
promoting tourism in the area. -- Joseph Zambrano
Oncologist advocates cancer
awareness and early detection
BAGUIO CITY -- Awareness and prevention remains best ways to combat cancer.
Oncologist Jasmin Igama of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center(BGHMC), said cancer
awareness and prevention arevital as two-thirds or two of every three cancer cases are more of lifestyle-related
rather than hereditary and most of the new cases are being discovered in late stage already.
Breast, lungs and liver cancer remain most common among cancer patients, according to Igama who also
chairs the BGHMC Cancer Center.
She said breast cancer can be detected even through self-examination. Liver cancer, on the other hand, can
be prevented by managing Hepatitis-B through vaccination.
In both lungs and liver cancer, risk factors include alcohol and smoking, which should be avoided.
During media forum to promote National Cancer Consciousness Week and Liver Cancer/Viral Hepatitis
Awareness Prevention Month this February, Igama said BGHMC was certified by the DOH as Cervical Cancer
Screening Center of the North.
A Comprehensive Cancer Center will be opened soon, she added.
The BGHMC in partnership with PhilHealth, is also implementing no-balance billing for indigent patients and
the Z benefit package for PhilHealth members which covers catastrophic illnesses such as Acute Lymphocytic
Leukemia on children and breast and colon cancer. -- Strawberry de Leon and Liza Enriquez
DA turns over organic
trading post to Ifugao town
LAGAWE, Ifugao -- A P1.5 million worth of organic trading post in this municipality is now ready for operation after
its launching this month.

The facility was turned over to the local government unit of Lagawe by the Department of AgricultureCordillera regional office after having been appraised by inspection committee of conformity to plans and
specifications.
The facility will be used as packaging center of organic products to be sold at the organic display center
located at the public market of the municipality.
Mayor Ceasario Cabbigat cited the DA regional and provincial office for selecting Lagawe to host the organic
trading post for the benefit of organic farmers.
According to Carmen Himmiwat, focal person on organic agriculture of DA-CAR, the OTP in Lagawe is
the first OTP LGU-supported launched in the Cordillera.
Their office, she said, is giving technical assistance to the project like training of beneficiaries on simple
book keeping, certification and marketing scheme.
She challenged everyone to utilize properly and work for the success of the facility.
Meanwhile, Provincial Agriculturist Raymundo Bahatan asked farmers to practice organic farming which is
also being promoted by the government.
Aside from the provincial organic agriculture ordinance, five towns in Ifugao have their own municipal
ordinance to encourage more farmers to engage in organic farming . He expressed hope that other municipalities will
enact their own local organic farming law. -- Marcelo Lihgawon
RDC subsectoral committee to
establish databank on IPs
BAGUIO CITY -- The committee on indigenous peoples concerns of the Regional Development Council (RDC plans
to establish a databank on indigenous peoples to get total picture of IP population.
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Commissioner for Region 1 and the Cordillera Administrative
Region Brigida Zenaida Pawid said a technical working group composed of NCIP, Philippine Statistics Authority and
National Economic and Development Authority will review guidelines in 2015 census of population on identification
of IPs.
We have to be prepared to make sure we get the real statistics of IPs in the upcoming census, said Pawid
who chairs the CIPC.
The 2010 census of population statistics was not able to get the whole IP population as many in the
urban areas did not really divulge the IP group they belong unlike in the rural areas.
There is also a confusion of terminologies on ethnic group and ethnolinguistic group, she added.
As defined, an ethnic group is composed of a community or population made up of people who share a
common cultural background or descent while an ethnolinguistic group is composed of people having common
language as an aspect or part of their culture.
Pawid bared disparity in statistics on total number of IPs. Based on NCIP records, there are 14 million IPs
divided into 110 ethnolinguistic groups but in the last census, IPs recorded was 10 million. -- Susan Aro