Speaking to the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, from the board members to the legislative staff assistants (LSA) and SP employees in attendance, Vice Governor Concepcion Lim called for unity and change in what spells out to be a new beginning for the Provincial Board of Bohol.
These words were spoken during the vice governor’s welcome message at the opening of the SP’s strategic planning and legislation workshop that it held last Wednesday and Thursday at the Bohol Plaza Resort.
“Let’s be frank with each other,” Vice Governor Lim opened, continuing that unity can only be achieved through honesty and openness so that there will be genuine harmony in the SP.
She directed all employees to refrain from participating in politics in the provincial sanggunian, saying that they are all in the SP to work as one for the people of the province. She added that they should leave politics to the politicians.
Apart from the vice governor, nine of the thirteen provincial board members attended the strategic planning and workshop, which the SP employees remarked as unprecedented, comparing it to how the previous SP administration barely attended the same activity.
Present were Senior Board Member Dionisio Balite, Assistant Floor Leader Godofreda Tirol, First District Board Members Abeleon Damalerio and Venzencio Arcamo, Second District Board Members Josephine Socorro Jumamoy and Gerardo Garcia, Third District Board Member Bienvenido Molina, PCL-Bohol President Ramonito Torrefranca, and ABC-Bohol President Crispina Vergara.
Vice Governor Lim’s sentiment was echoed during the proceedings by Board Member Jumamoy, who said that there is no need for division within the SP since it should stand as one family. She further affirmed the importance of attitude in establishing how people relate with and respect one another.
Jumamoy observed that in the last administration that there was a lack of camaraderie between certain offices that comprise the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. She said that it was a division that did not exist in past SP administrations of which she was a member.
The employees themselves spoke out of a lack of trust that they sensed in the last SP administration since, even when there were competent staff already in place, it often preferred to hire outsiders.
The Sanggunian is composed of the Vice Governor’s Office, the offices of the Board Members and their respective legislative staff, the Office of the SP Secretary, and, under the latter, the Provincial Library.
ONE WITH THE EXECUTIVE AGENDA
“We will change what we see is undesirable,” the vice governor also declared in her message. And in the same breath, the vice governor called for the legislative body to “cooperate with the province’s executive department in pursuing its development agenda.”
Thereafter, following a presentation and forum on the provincial development and physical framework plan, it was proposed that the provincial sanggunian adopt for itself the executive development agenda through an ordinance so that the provincial government may more fully pursue as one the comprehensive development agenda that is articulated in the acronym HEAT Bohol, through the strategies of LIFE HELPS.
HEAT stands for Health and Sanitation, Education and Technology, Agriculture and Food Security, and Tourism and Livelihood. LIFE HELPS stands for the strategies of Livelihood and Tourism, Infrastructure, Food, Education, Health, Environment, Leadership Development, Peace and Order, Sports and Youth Development.
LEGISLATIVE TRACKING SYSTEM UNDER THEN-VICE GOV. CHATTO,
BETTER THAN PREVIOUS SP ADMINISTRATION’S
Yet another subject that came up during the strategic planning was the legislative tracking system, or LTS, which many remarked to have deteriorated from the time when Gov. Edgar Chatto was still the vice governor. It had then been hailed as ahead of its time and was made a model for the LTS of other provinces.
Board Member Tirol inquired on what is causing a bottleneck in the province’s legislative tracking system.
“If I can track it from my own office, there would have been no need for paper exchange,” she continued, hinting on the SP’s aim of paperless legislation, an environmental approach to legislation which seeks to maximize technology and minimize the use of paper and other resources which may be depleted.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Agusan del Sur, one of the LGUs which had come to Bohol to study its LTS, now boasts of its online paperless legislation.
SP Secretary Bonifacio Quirog Jr. clarified that what the SP has at present is not an LTS but essentially merely a records retrieval system, where one must know beforehand the date, number, and subject matter of the legislation being sought.
One other limitation of the current system is that if one user opens a folder, other users of the network cannot open the same folder.
Quirog himself commented that, for now, to meet the immediate needs of the legislators, it would be better for the SP to revert to the old LTS and make updates from there instead of continuing to work with the current LTS. (pjjv/G.O.-EDCom)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Young Damalerio elected new NMYL head; succeeds brother
Young but able Provincial Board Member Abeleon Damalerio was elected the new Bohol president of the National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL) during the league’s general assembly at Bohol Tropics on Friday.
Outgoing NMYL-Bohol head and Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio II, who happens to be an elder brother of his successor, assured group of the provincial government’s support to its programs and projects. He spoke in the assembly also for guest Gov. Edgar Chatto, who was outside the province during the event.
The younger Damalerio will serve as NMYL president from 2010 – 2013 together with executive vice president Tagbilaran City Kag. John Geesnell Yap, and Cortes Kag. Lynn Iven Lim, Clarin Kag. Velden Aparicio and Kag. Arturo Piollo as vice presidents for the First, Second and Third Districts, respectively.
The other new officiers are Kag. Ongi Grace Lim (Mabini) as secretary; Kag. Abegail Martha Lagura (Guindulman), assistant secretary; Kag. Toribio Bon III (Panglao), treasurer; and Kag. Ritchel Lim (Albur), PRO.
The members of the board are Kag. Chester Ian Rule (Sikatuna) and Kag. Celerino Jubac (Cortes) representing the 1st District; Kag. Corsine Salera (Clarin) and Kag. Eduardo Torremocha (Getafe) for 2nd District; and Kag. John Loius Deligero (Anda) and Kag. Jerson Curit (Mabini) for 3rd district. Lawyer and City Kag. Nerio D. Zamora II is the league’s legal counsel.
DILG Provincial Director Rustica Mascariñas proclaimed the election winners and dared them to sustain NMYL’s reputation as an instrument of responsive public service.
She told the group that DILG’s role is to link between the local and national governments, and that the NMYL is expected to further contribute to good and effective governance through quality legislation.
The NMYL is comprised by the elected local lawmakers in the country who are aged 35 years or younger at the time of their election.
Outgoing NMYL-Bohol head and Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio II, who happens to be an elder brother of his successor, assured group of the provincial government’s support to its programs and projects. He spoke in the assembly also for guest Gov. Edgar Chatto, who was outside the province during the event.
The younger Damalerio will serve as NMYL president from 2010 – 2013 together with executive vice president Tagbilaran City Kag. John Geesnell Yap, and Cortes Kag. Lynn Iven Lim, Clarin Kag. Velden Aparicio and Kag. Arturo Piollo as vice presidents for the First, Second and Third Districts, respectively.
The other new officiers are Kag. Ongi Grace Lim (Mabini) as secretary; Kag. Abegail Martha Lagura (Guindulman), assistant secretary; Kag. Toribio Bon III (Panglao), treasurer; and Kag. Ritchel Lim (Albur), PRO.
The members of the board are Kag. Chester Ian Rule (Sikatuna) and Kag. Celerino Jubac (Cortes) representing the 1st District; Kag. Corsine Salera (Clarin) and Kag. Eduardo Torremocha (Getafe) for 2nd District; and Kag. John Loius Deligero (Anda) and Kag. Jerson Curit (Mabini) for 3rd district. Lawyer and City Kag. Nerio D. Zamora II is the league’s legal counsel.
DILG Provincial Director Rustica Mascariñas proclaimed the election winners and dared them to sustain NMYL’s reputation as an instrument of responsive public service.
She told the group that DILG’s role is to link between the local and national governments, and that the NMYL is expected to further contribute to good and effective governance through quality legislation.
The NMYL is comprised by the elected local lawmakers in the country who are aged 35 years or younger at the time of their election.
Mass for hostage dead on Tuesday
Boholanos will pay tribute to the victims of the Manila tourist bus hostage in a mass at the St. Joseph Cathedral here on Tuesday at eight in the morning.
Gov. Edgar Chatto enjoined all department and satellite office heads of the provincial government, owners and operators of beach resorts, hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related establishments, religious and cultural organizations, and Chinese groups to attend the mass.
The governor said this is intended to express the Boholanos’ sympathy to the bereaved families of the foreign tourists from Hong Kong who were gunned dead in the 11-hour bloody hostage drama.
Chatto, former chairman of the tourism committee in Congress, convened the top military and police officials here on the very night of the Manila bloodbath.
He demanded from the peacekeepers and law enforcers a sustained peace and a maintained order in the province amidst fear of any possible local repercussion of the tragic hostage-taking.
Hong Kong has issued a black travel warning to its residents to cancel their Philippine travel. Those who are still visiting the country have been directed to get back as soon as possible.
While the Tuesday morning mass, which is simultaneous nationwide, is held, the Department of Tourism is into a “public relations offensive” cushioning the impact of the tragic tourist bus siege.
Travelers from Hong Kong are the fifth biggest tourist group in the Philippines, second in Central Visayas and third in Bohol.
Chatto would like to tell the world of travel that Bohol has enhanced its tourism image because Boholanos put diamond value to both the life of nature and the culture that prices and prizes human life. (Ven rebo Arigo)
Gov. Edgar Chatto enjoined all department and satellite office heads of the provincial government, owners and operators of beach resorts, hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related establishments, religious and cultural organizations, and Chinese groups to attend the mass.
The governor said this is intended to express the Boholanos’ sympathy to the bereaved families of the foreign tourists from Hong Kong who were gunned dead in the 11-hour bloody hostage drama.
Chatto, former chairman of the tourism committee in Congress, convened the top military and police officials here on the very night of the Manila bloodbath.
He demanded from the peacekeepers and law enforcers a sustained peace and a maintained order in the province amidst fear of any possible local repercussion of the tragic hostage-taking.
Hong Kong has issued a black travel warning to its residents to cancel their Philippine travel. Those who are still visiting the country have been directed to get back as soon as possible.
While the Tuesday morning mass, which is simultaneous nationwide, is held, the Department of Tourism is into a “public relations offensive” cushioning the impact of the tragic tourist bus siege.
Travelers from Hong Kong are the fifth biggest tourist group in the Philippines, second in Central Visayas and third in Bohol.
Chatto would like to tell the world of travel that Bohol has enhanced its tourism image because Boholanos put diamond value to both the life of nature and the culture that prices and prizes human life. (Ven rebo Arigo)
OFW Action Line is now more committed, responsive
The OFW Action Line, a special program segment on the concern of the Boholano overseas Filipino workers of Gov. Edgar Chatto during his congressional stint, is now back on air, more committed and responsive than ever.
It is now a full 30-minute program of the provincial government under Chatto’s leadership and heard on its new Wednesday time slot at 10:30-11:00 am on DYTR and 7:30-8)) pm on DYRD.
The OFW Action Line has been revived for the provincial government thru the Effective Development Communication (EDCom) Office.
It had gone on “dead air” during the transition period when Chatto had then busily prepared for his assumption as Bohol’s 25th governor.
Also now labeled the OFW A LINE (for easy recall by Internet user), the program shall continue its purpose to link the migrant workers to their families back home.
The OFWs and their families can thus email issues relating to their concerns at ofwaline_bohol@yahoo.com.
The OFW Action Line had been a broadcast service project Chatto when he was congressman. The service has been revitalized in response to recent developments, the latest and most sensational being the Quirino Grandstand hostage bloodbath.
In addition, the Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEPO) and PESO OFW Desk are in the process of setting up a facility for OFW dependents in the province.
The facility allows the families and dependents to contact their OFW loved ones in Hongkong through Skype, an Internet-based voice and webcam service.
They simply need to bring the e-mail addresses of the OFWs they wish to contact. Information on the availability of the facility shall be disseminated as soon as equipment and connections are completed. (Leah/EDCom)
It is now a full 30-minute program of the provincial government under Chatto’s leadership and heard on its new Wednesday time slot at 10:30-11:00 am on DYTR and 7:30-8)) pm on DYRD.
The OFW Action Line has been revived for the provincial government thru the Effective Development Communication (EDCom) Office.
It had gone on “dead air” during the transition period when Chatto had then busily prepared for his assumption as Bohol’s 25th governor.
Also now labeled the OFW A LINE (for easy recall by Internet user), the program shall continue its purpose to link the migrant workers to their families back home.
The OFWs and their families can thus email issues relating to their concerns at ofwaline_bohol@yahoo.com.
The OFW Action Line had been a broadcast service project Chatto when he was congressman. The service has been revitalized in response to recent developments, the latest and most sensational being the Quirino Grandstand hostage bloodbath.
In addition, the Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEPO) and PESO OFW Desk are in the process of setting up a facility for OFW dependents in the province.
The facility allows the families and dependents to contact their OFW loved ones in Hongkong through Skype, an Internet-based voice and webcam service.
They simply need to bring the e-mail addresses of the OFWs they wish to contact. Information on the availability of the facility shall be disseminated as soon as equipment and connections are completed. (Leah/EDCom)
Battle men support HEAT
Soldiers have supported Gov. Edgar Chatto’s development battlecry HEAT Bohol, drawing a parallel advocacy program that portrays them as troopers for sustained peace and sustainable progress.
The governor has coined HEAT for “Health and sanitation, Education and technology, Agriculture and food production, Tourism and livelihood.”
The 2nd Special Forces Battalion and 802nd Infantry Brigade have launched what their top officials appropriately term the “SUPPORT HEAT Bohol.”
The acronym means “Soldiers United for Peace, Progress and Other Reforms Through HEAT Bohol.”
The mayors, meanwhile, adhered to the strategies of HEAT during their league officers’ oath-taking before the governor at capitol on Monday. Loay Mayor Rosemarie Imboy and Trinidad Mayor Roberto Cajes are the league’s president and executive vice president, respectively.
The advocacy program of the soldiers will be implemented through projects and services which are within the scope of the mandate of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The health and sanitation area involves the soldiers’ medical mission and cleanliness drive in tie up with the provincial government, other local government units, agencies, agencies, non-government organizations and other stakeholders.
Education and technology involve information and awareness campaigns in schools “to prevent the youths from being misguided by unscrupulous individuals or organizations into joining groups that have adverse intentions such as those which are against the national stability and sovereignty.”
The area includes youth leadership summit, an AFP program in coordination with the LGUs starting in 2005.
In the summit, student leaders and out-of-school youths gather together in three days to interact and be educated on government programs. They formulate their own action plan for their good and of the nation.
Soldiers count themselves in the pre-class opening bayanihan project Brigada Eskwela of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Army camps will have backyard gardens and small farms that can help provide food not just to the soldiers, civilian auxiliaries and their families but also the members of the community if possible. Animals will be raised, too.
Agriculture and food production are further pursued thru the soldiers’ sustained supervision of the Kauban sa Reporma farms being cultivated by the rebel returnees in the military reservation in Carmen.
On tourism and livelihood, the military forces will continue implementing the Sub-contracting Program for Innovation (SPIN) for the rebel returnees.
Coordinated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the program provides the rebel returnees and their families with livelihood like the manufacture of export quality baskets and other handicrafts.
There will be frequent security patrols in areas frequented by tourists. These include shoreline and inter-island patrols.
The soldiers will dignify the environment thru tree planting, “scubasurero” activities and many other programs to enhance eco-tourism, a magnifier for the splendid attainment of the vision for Bohol as a prime destination in the country. (Ven rebo Arigo)
The governor has coined HEAT for “Health and sanitation, Education and technology, Agriculture and food production, Tourism and livelihood.”
The 2nd Special Forces Battalion and 802nd Infantry Brigade have launched what their top officials appropriately term the “SUPPORT HEAT Bohol.”
The acronym means “Soldiers United for Peace, Progress and Other Reforms Through HEAT Bohol.”
The mayors, meanwhile, adhered to the strategies of HEAT during their league officers’ oath-taking before the governor at capitol on Monday. Loay Mayor Rosemarie Imboy and Trinidad Mayor Roberto Cajes are the league’s president and executive vice president, respectively.
The advocacy program of the soldiers will be implemented through projects and services which are within the scope of the mandate of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The health and sanitation area involves the soldiers’ medical mission and cleanliness drive in tie up with the provincial government, other local government units, agencies, agencies, non-government organizations and other stakeholders.
Education and technology involve information and awareness campaigns in schools “to prevent the youths from being misguided by unscrupulous individuals or organizations into joining groups that have adverse intentions such as those which are against the national stability and sovereignty.”
The area includes youth leadership summit, an AFP program in coordination with the LGUs starting in 2005.
In the summit, student leaders and out-of-school youths gather together in three days to interact and be educated on government programs. They formulate their own action plan for their good and of the nation.
Soldiers count themselves in the pre-class opening bayanihan project Brigada Eskwela of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Army camps will have backyard gardens and small farms that can help provide food not just to the soldiers, civilian auxiliaries and their families but also the members of the community if possible. Animals will be raised, too.
Agriculture and food production are further pursued thru the soldiers’ sustained supervision of the Kauban sa Reporma farms being cultivated by the rebel returnees in the military reservation in Carmen.
On tourism and livelihood, the military forces will continue implementing the Sub-contracting Program for Innovation (SPIN) for the rebel returnees.
Coordinated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the program provides the rebel returnees and their families with livelihood like the manufacture of export quality baskets and other handicrafts.
There will be frequent security patrols in areas frequented by tourists. These include shoreline and inter-island patrols.
The soldiers will dignify the environment thru tree planting, “scubasurero” activities and many other programs to enhance eco-tourism, a magnifier for the splendid attainment of the vision for Bohol as a prime destination in the country. (Ven rebo Arigo)
Monday, August 23, 2010
Chatto seriously evaluates Bohol health and education
Governor-elect Rep. Edgar Chatto has seriously evaluated the health and education conditions in the province as he readies to assume the 25th governorship of Bohol exactly 17 days from now.
The two vital concerns are priority parts of what he calls “HEAT” that will “heat up” his first 100 days as new supreme elective official of the province. HEAT means health, education, agriculture and tourism.
He made rundowns of the prevailing situations, problems and possible immediate remedial measures during his informal but useful small group discussions with the health and education sectors. He will meet separately with the agriculture and tourism sectors.
Effective health care delivery is one key area for urgent attention which the incoming governor wants to avoid being overwhelmed by other concerns that he similarly intends to act on.
Chatto intends to hold, if inevitable, a comprehensive health summit for broader participation and learned inputs hoped to scrap inept policies and set a clearer direction.
Provincial Health Office (PHO) head Dr. Reymoses Cabagnot confided in their brainstorming that there were years that the provincial government, which runs several devolved hospitals, did not even have capital outlays.
The province’s five-year health investment plan will be reviewed while Chatto intends to immediately meet with the provincial Local Health Board after he shall have assumed office.
The initial but “awakening” assessment pointed to the needs for the full tapping of the Philhealth universal coverage system, upgrading of hospitals, reactivation of the district health zones, effective individual and institutional referral system, and efficient procurement system.
It likewise seriously noted the lack of manpower, need to tap the services of private doctors and other medical practitioners, misconception about the charging system, need to institutionalize a performance audit of the province’s hospital system, and need to strengthen the primary health care to emphasize a wiser preventive rather than curative health care system.
The health meeting was also attended by Dr. Fruserma Uy of PHO, Jagna District Hospital chief Dr. Winifreda Cagulada, Dr. Jude Doblas who is the Bohol president of the Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines (AMHOP) and Dr. Oliver Yu of the Ramiro Hospital.
OBSERVATIONS
The province-run hospitals and rural health units (RHUs) can get more returns if most of the Philhealth-enrolled patients avail of their services. Claims and refunds from Philhealth should not be unduly delayed.
Philhealth reimbursements will in turn fund the continuing operation of the hospitals and defray other expenses, including the purchase of new or additional medicines.
Chatto said the universal coverage of Philhealth is ideal as it insures the most number of beneficiaries, but how to attract them to go to the devolved hospitals and RHUs is another thing.
Unlike all the devolved hospitals, only less than 50% of the RHUs are Philhealth accredited. Also, only 35 RHUs have Philhealth outpatient benefit package.
The local government units (LGUs) ought to enroll with Philhealth their poor or lowly constituents but they cannot claim reimbursements because their RHUs are not accredited.
It was further learned that the province and certain LGUs have paid under a 50-50 scheme the annual premiums of their sponsored Philhealth enrolees. However, the LGUs would not remit to the province the latter’s P150 equal share from the yearly P300 capitation refund from Philhealth.
Cabagnot estimated at some 19,000 the indigents provincewide who have been enrolled with Philhealth under its universal coverage.
On the patient referral system, the five health districts or district health zones will be made dynamic as one way to decongest the Gov. Gallares Memorial Provincial Hospital (GCGMH), Bohol’s biggest and only government hospital located in Tagbilaran City, while acknowledging the use of the town hospitals.
The PHO chief said that about four years ago, patients from within the city already comprised nearly 40% of the admission to the GCGMH, which is by category a regional tertiary hospital of the Department of Health (DOH).
The district health zones have respective core hospitals in Talibon, Jagna, Loon, Catigbian and Carmen. They are flagship hospitals and main referral hospitals under the provincial government’s hospital system. Sadly, only the Carmen health district is “functional.”
The Chatto administration will explore sources of funds and other supports to upgrade the hospitals and encourage the patients, including the Philhealth beneficiaries, far outside the city to avail of their services.
Chatto will review the province’s counterparting programs to guide the budgeting for next year as Cabagnot admitted the budgetary handicap to improve the hospitals, their manpower and services.
“There were years when we did not even have capital outlays,” the provincial health officer revealed.
MANPOWER
According to Dr. Yu of Ramiro Hospital, private doctors and other medical professionals could go to the government district hospitals as visiting doctors but their professional fees from Philhealth should be given.
The people should be educated on the charging system by the visiting private doctors in government hospitals and the charging system of the government hospitals themselves.
The province can hire the private doctors as one-peso-a-year consultants. They can be on-call by the district hospitals and RHUs when their specializations are required by the patients, who can become their captive clients.
Yu also suggested for the government to subsidize surgical implant materials so that the private doctors visiting the government hospitals no longer collect payment.
According to Cabagnot, many hospitals also lack medical technologists because the plantilla lacks items for them. Further, Bohol has one city and 47 towns yet there are only 30 medical technologists.
Many of them are assigned to field programs, which will be affected if they are pulled out and detailed to the hospitals.
The Chatto administration intends to address the immediate concerns thru immediate doable policies while working for long-term measures.
EDUCATION
Chatto dreams of a province with better educational training programs for the Boholanos to be globally competitive.
He reiterated his plan to expand the CPG Scholarship Program and apply provincewide his successful congressional study subsidy scheme. The separate CHED-allowed congressional scholarship for children of barangay officials and SK officials will be revived and fully implemented under his Bohol watch.
Chatto will conduct a donors’ forum to pool outside resources for the CPG scholarship. He will tap the Boholanos abroad and even the big tour companies which have earned from Bohol’s beauty.
His informal small group meeting with the education sector identified concerns that include those needing proper coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd) Bohol Division Office, schools, provincial government and LGUs.
The provincial government, for example, built classrooms in schools which already had national allocations requested by the division office. The national funds usually came delayed and were already hard to realign. Thus, there are schools having “excess” classrooms while many are lacking.
DepEd-Bohol superintendent Dr. Lorna Rances also suggested that the allocation of elementary teacher items should be of division-wide application instead of having specific places of assignment.
The allocation of high school teacher items should likewise be flexible, although the required teaching majors should remain strictly observed.
The hiring of locally-paid teachers has no “quality control” for lack of LGU-Deped coordination. This has even sadly resulted in the employment of teachers who are not even board passers.
Rances said they have started correcting this system. The non-board passers can be hired and paid by the LGUs but to non-teaching jobs in schools.
This concerns most the DepEd, but Chatto agreed that the quality of instruction and learning should not be compromised.
The governor-elect also encouraged the education sector to make teacher applicants fully understand the DepEd policies on ranking and localization.
Meanwhile, Chatto was stunned by a revelation that there are also volunteer teachers not getting paid even with a single centavo. He declared that no government worker should be unpaid for his services rendered.
The meeting with the education sector was attended, too, by former DepEd-Bohol head Dr. Cerina Bolos, assistant superintendent Dr. Wilfreda Bongalos, TESDA Provincial Director Francisca Opog, Danny Bandala, president of the provincial federation of PTAs, and Mayette Naquila who is the president of the Bohol Association of Student Councils.
UNPAID OBLIGATION;
SKILLS TRAINING
The incoming governor will write to the new Senate president and House speaker and coordinate with the new Bohol congressmen for an allocation in the 2011 budget to pay TESDA-Bohol’s P13 million unpaid obligation.
Opog raised for the first time to the incoming governor this serious concern that could affect TESDA’s training scholarship.
The national government only gave coupons to free skills education trainees without accompanying fund.
Also, Opog suggested to the next governor for a close coordination between the Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEPO) and TESDA. She said BEPO should update TESDA on the labor market to guide the latter on what technical and vocational courses it would prioritize.
Chatto will make BEPO a dynamic job generation tool. BEPO facilitates employment, including overseas jobs.
But Chatto believed that only until such time that Bohol self-generates employment can the cycle of poverty in the province reversed.
The province has an existing skills training program dubbed the Special Training Advocating Reliance on Sel-employment STARS). But the TESDA head feared that the STARS could fall short of the expectation for certain reasons. The next administration can do something about it.
The skills training is essential as Chatto learned that numerous students cannot attain college education. Rances disclosed the alarming rate of student dropouts every year.
Students finish high school at average unemployable ages of 16 and 17. Skills training can guide them and the dropouts to self-employment. The government can assist them in seeking capital or linking them to the financing institutions and private sector.
There is also a need to strengthen the alternative learning system (ALS), a literacy program for out-of-schools youths and adults partnered with livelihood skills training. It was hoped in the meeting to build and equip community learning centers for ALS.
SEF FOR LEARNING;
BOLD SPORTS PROGRAM
The education sector expressed strict preference for the Special Education Fund (SEF), which is one percent of the real property tax, to be used for academic learning.
Huge allocations from it are often used for sports activities.
Chatto and the education sector planned to tap the business sector and other solvent sources to sponsor year-round sports cups both in the elementary and secondary levels. These can become regular leagues of priority sports events in which the Boholanos can excel.
Ten percent (10%) of the SK fund will be devoted to sports programs as an approach to youth development.
The next provincial administration intends to allocate regular funds for the sub-congressional and district congressional meets. These are apart from the fund for the provincial meet.
Chatto will make it a policy of his governorship that no teachers and parents will contribute any amount for sports meets.(Ven rebo Arigo)
The two vital concerns are priority parts of what he calls “HEAT” that will “heat up” his first 100 days as new supreme elective official of the province. HEAT means health, education, agriculture and tourism.
He made rundowns of the prevailing situations, problems and possible immediate remedial measures during his informal but useful small group discussions with the health and education sectors. He will meet separately with the agriculture and tourism sectors.
Effective health care delivery is one key area for urgent attention which the incoming governor wants to avoid being overwhelmed by other concerns that he similarly intends to act on.
Chatto intends to hold, if inevitable, a comprehensive health summit for broader participation and learned inputs hoped to scrap inept policies and set a clearer direction.
Provincial Health Office (PHO) head Dr. Reymoses Cabagnot confided in their brainstorming that there were years that the provincial government, which runs several devolved hospitals, did not even have capital outlays.
The province’s five-year health investment plan will be reviewed while Chatto intends to immediately meet with the provincial Local Health Board after he shall have assumed office.
The initial but “awakening” assessment pointed to the needs for the full tapping of the Philhealth universal coverage system, upgrading of hospitals, reactivation of the district health zones, effective individual and institutional referral system, and efficient procurement system.
It likewise seriously noted the lack of manpower, need to tap the services of private doctors and other medical practitioners, misconception about the charging system, need to institutionalize a performance audit of the province’s hospital system, and need to strengthen the primary health care to emphasize a wiser preventive rather than curative health care system.
The health meeting was also attended by Dr. Fruserma Uy of PHO, Jagna District Hospital chief Dr. Winifreda Cagulada, Dr. Jude Doblas who is the Bohol president of the Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines (AMHOP) and Dr. Oliver Yu of the Ramiro Hospital.
OBSERVATIONS
The province-run hospitals and rural health units (RHUs) can get more returns if most of the Philhealth-enrolled patients avail of their services. Claims and refunds from Philhealth should not be unduly delayed.
Philhealth reimbursements will in turn fund the continuing operation of the hospitals and defray other expenses, including the purchase of new or additional medicines.
Chatto said the universal coverage of Philhealth is ideal as it insures the most number of beneficiaries, but how to attract them to go to the devolved hospitals and RHUs is another thing.
Unlike all the devolved hospitals, only less than 50% of the RHUs are Philhealth accredited. Also, only 35 RHUs have Philhealth outpatient benefit package.
The local government units (LGUs) ought to enroll with Philhealth their poor or lowly constituents but they cannot claim reimbursements because their RHUs are not accredited.
It was further learned that the province and certain LGUs have paid under a 50-50 scheme the annual premiums of their sponsored Philhealth enrolees. However, the LGUs would not remit to the province the latter’s P150 equal share from the yearly P300 capitation refund from Philhealth.
Cabagnot estimated at some 19,000 the indigents provincewide who have been enrolled with Philhealth under its universal coverage.
On the patient referral system, the five health districts or district health zones will be made dynamic as one way to decongest the Gov. Gallares Memorial Provincial Hospital (GCGMH), Bohol’s biggest and only government hospital located in Tagbilaran City, while acknowledging the use of the town hospitals.
The PHO chief said that about four years ago, patients from within the city already comprised nearly 40% of the admission to the GCGMH, which is by category a regional tertiary hospital of the Department of Health (DOH).
The district health zones have respective core hospitals in Talibon, Jagna, Loon, Catigbian and Carmen. They are flagship hospitals and main referral hospitals under the provincial government’s hospital system. Sadly, only the Carmen health district is “functional.”
The Chatto administration will explore sources of funds and other supports to upgrade the hospitals and encourage the patients, including the Philhealth beneficiaries, far outside the city to avail of their services.
Chatto will review the province’s counterparting programs to guide the budgeting for next year as Cabagnot admitted the budgetary handicap to improve the hospitals, their manpower and services.
“There were years when we did not even have capital outlays,” the provincial health officer revealed.
MANPOWER
According to Dr. Yu of Ramiro Hospital, private doctors and other medical professionals could go to the government district hospitals as visiting doctors but their professional fees from Philhealth should be given.
The people should be educated on the charging system by the visiting private doctors in government hospitals and the charging system of the government hospitals themselves.
The province can hire the private doctors as one-peso-a-year consultants. They can be on-call by the district hospitals and RHUs when their specializations are required by the patients, who can become their captive clients.
Yu also suggested for the government to subsidize surgical implant materials so that the private doctors visiting the government hospitals no longer collect payment.
According to Cabagnot, many hospitals also lack medical technologists because the plantilla lacks items for them. Further, Bohol has one city and 47 towns yet there are only 30 medical technologists.
Many of them are assigned to field programs, which will be affected if they are pulled out and detailed to the hospitals.
The Chatto administration intends to address the immediate concerns thru immediate doable policies while working for long-term measures.
EDUCATION
Chatto dreams of a province with better educational training programs for the Boholanos to be globally competitive.
He reiterated his plan to expand the CPG Scholarship Program and apply provincewide his successful congressional study subsidy scheme. The separate CHED-allowed congressional scholarship for children of barangay officials and SK officials will be revived and fully implemented under his Bohol watch.
Chatto will conduct a donors’ forum to pool outside resources for the CPG scholarship. He will tap the Boholanos abroad and even the big tour companies which have earned from Bohol’s beauty.
His informal small group meeting with the education sector identified concerns that include those needing proper coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd) Bohol Division Office, schools, provincial government and LGUs.
The provincial government, for example, built classrooms in schools which already had national allocations requested by the division office. The national funds usually came delayed and were already hard to realign. Thus, there are schools having “excess” classrooms while many are lacking.
DepEd-Bohol superintendent Dr. Lorna Rances also suggested that the allocation of elementary teacher items should be of division-wide application instead of having specific places of assignment.
The allocation of high school teacher items should likewise be flexible, although the required teaching majors should remain strictly observed.
The hiring of locally-paid teachers has no “quality control” for lack of LGU-Deped coordination. This has even sadly resulted in the employment of teachers who are not even board passers.
Rances said they have started correcting this system. The non-board passers can be hired and paid by the LGUs but to non-teaching jobs in schools.
This concerns most the DepEd, but Chatto agreed that the quality of instruction and learning should not be compromised.
The governor-elect also encouraged the education sector to make teacher applicants fully understand the DepEd policies on ranking and localization.
Meanwhile, Chatto was stunned by a revelation that there are also volunteer teachers not getting paid even with a single centavo. He declared that no government worker should be unpaid for his services rendered.
The meeting with the education sector was attended, too, by former DepEd-Bohol head Dr. Cerina Bolos, assistant superintendent Dr. Wilfreda Bongalos, TESDA Provincial Director Francisca Opog, Danny Bandala, president of the provincial federation of PTAs, and Mayette Naquila who is the president of the Bohol Association of Student Councils.
UNPAID OBLIGATION;
SKILLS TRAINING
The incoming governor will write to the new Senate president and House speaker and coordinate with the new Bohol congressmen for an allocation in the 2011 budget to pay TESDA-Bohol’s P13 million unpaid obligation.
Opog raised for the first time to the incoming governor this serious concern that could affect TESDA’s training scholarship.
The national government only gave coupons to free skills education trainees without accompanying fund.
Also, Opog suggested to the next governor for a close coordination between the Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEPO) and TESDA. She said BEPO should update TESDA on the labor market to guide the latter on what technical and vocational courses it would prioritize.
Chatto will make BEPO a dynamic job generation tool. BEPO facilitates employment, including overseas jobs.
But Chatto believed that only until such time that Bohol self-generates employment can the cycle of poverty in the province reversed.
The province has an existing skills training program dubbed the Special Training Advocating Reliance on Sel-employment STARS). But the TESDA head feared that the STARS could fall short of the expectation for certain reasons. The next administration can do something about it.
The skills training is essential as Chatto learned that numerous students cannot attain college education. Rances disclosed the alarming rate of student dropouts every year.
Students finish high school at average unemployable ages of 16 and 17. Skills training can guide them and the dropouts to self-employment. The government can assist them in seeking capital or linking them to the financing institutions and private sector.
There is also a need to strengthen the alternative learning system (ALS), a literacy program for out-of-schools youths and adults partnered with livelihood skills training. It was hoped in the meeting to build and equip community learning centers for ALS.
SEF FOR LEARNING;
BOLD SPORTS PROGRAM
The education sector expressed strict preference for the Special Education Fund (SEF), which is one percent of the real property tax, to be used for academic learning.
Huge allocations from it are often used for sports activities.
Chatto and the education sector planned to tap the business sector and other solvent sources to sponsor year-round sports cups both in the elementary and secondary levels. These can become regular leagues of priority sports events in which the Boholanos can excel.
Ten percent (10%) of the SK fund will be devoted to sports programs as an approach to youth development.
The next provincial administration intends to allocate regular funds for the sub-congressional and district congressional meets. These are apart from the fund for the provincial meet.
Chatto will make it a policy of his governorship that no teachers and parents will contribute any amount for sports meets.(Ven rebo Arigo)
Chatto bags Library Hub Award
First District Congressman and incoming Governor Edgar M. Chatto was conferred an award recently in recognition for his support and assistance to the Division of Bohol – Department of Education that led to the successful establishment and operation of the Library Hub in Bohol, on 27 May 2010 at the Bulwagan Ng Karunungan, DepEd Central Office, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City.
DepEd Secretary Mona Valisno gave the award to Governor-elect Chatto in the presence of the Undersecretaries, guests and Superintendent Division of Schools, Norma Varquez and Assistant Superintendent Division of Schools, Wilfreda Bongalos.
“The library hub project of the DepEd will supplement the existing library systems in the city and the province because it establishes additional libraries in selected areas, with upgraded number of books, information materials, and other literature for the use of students. Consequently, through this project, our students will be more educated, informed and develop in them a habit of reading.”, Chatto expressed.
Library hubs are strategically located in Tagbilaran City, Dauis, Trinidad, Balilihan, Loboc, Jagna and Loon. (Reine Real)
DepEd Secretary Mona Valisno gave the award to Governor-elect Chatto in the presence of the Undersecretaries, guests and Superintendent Division of Schools, Norma Varquez and Assistant Superintendent Division of Schools, Wilfreda Bongalos.
“The library hub project of the DepEd will supplement the existing library systems in the city and the province because it establishes additional libraries in selected areas, with upgraded number of books, information materials, and other literature for the use of students. Consequently, through this project, our students will be more educated, informed and develop in them a habit of reading.”, Chatto expressed.
Library hubs are strategically located in Tagbilaran City, Dauis, Trinidad, Balilihan, Loboc, Jagna and Loon. (Reine Real)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)