Applications for Penology Officer Exam accepted until February 28

 

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) announced that it will be accepting applications for the Penology Officer Examination (POE) until February 28 only.

The CSC said that the Penology Officer Examination, which will be conducted on March 20, is open to incumbent personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Corrections and other jail/correctional facilities who have not acquired any second level eligibility. Private individuals interested to join the jail and penology service may also take the said examination.

Passers of the Penology Officer Examination will obtain the Penology Officer Eligibility considered appropriate for second level ranks in the jail and penology and functionally-related services only, excluding ranks under the Philippine National Police, the CSC added.

All applicants must be Filipino citizens; physically and mentally fit; of good moral character; have not been convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude; and have not been dishonorably discharged from military service or dismissed for cause from any civilian position in the government. Those with pending administrative and/or criminal cases may take the examination without prejudice to forfeiture of the eligibility should they pass the same but would later be convicted as a result of their pending cases.

Private individuals who wish to take the examination must have completed a Bachelor’s degree; must be from 21 to 30 years old; with height of at least 1.57 meters (5’2”) for female and 1.62 meters (5’4”) for male; and must not have been granted any second level Civil Service eligibility or its equivalent.

The CSC further stated that the maximum age limit and height requirements are waived for incumbent personnel of BJMP, Bureau of Corrections and all Provincial and Sub-provincial jails under the management and control of BJMP. Said personnel, however, must submit a Certification of Employment from an authorized BJMP official.

Interested applicants for the Penology Officer Examination must complete the following requirements: 1) Properly accomplished application form (CS Form No. 100-F, Revised 2011, available at any CSC Regional/Field Office and downloadable from the CSC website); 2) Four pieces of recently taken (not more than three months upon filing of application) passport size ID pictures in white background, showing the applicant’s bare face (without eye glasses or any accessory that may cover facial features), and with handheld name tag bearing the applicant’s surname, first name and middle initial; and 3) Original and photocopy of any two valid ID cards, such as Driver’s License, SSS ID, GSIS UMID, current Office ID, Postal ID and valid Passport, with the applicant’s name, picture, date of birth and signature, and the authorized issuing officer’s name and signature. Examination fee is P700.00.

Applications may be filed at the CSC Regional and Field Offices in the following areas: San Fernando City (La Union); Legaspi City; Iloilo City; Cebu City; Zamboanga City; Cagayan de Oro City; and Davao City. Applications may also be filed at CSC Region IV office at 139 Panay Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City, and at CSC National Capital Region office at 25 Kaliraya Street corner Cordillera Street, Doña Josefa, Quezon City. PIO, CSC

3 CHINESE NATIONALS ARRESTED PDEA busts clandestine lab in Caloocan City

“One thing leads to another” – a rational parlance that best typified the circumstances surrounding the implementation of an arrest warrant conducted by an elite squad of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) which stumbled upon a much larger bounty- a makeshift shabu laboratory on February 24, 2011.

PDEA Director General/Undersecretary JOSE S. GUTIERREZ, JR. stated that the operatives of the PDEA Intelligence and Investigation Service (IIS) headed by Acting Director Jigger B. Montallana, in coordination with the Police Community Precint (PCP) 1 and Sub Station1, Caloocan City Police under the Northern Police District led by PC/Supt. Edgardo Nadao ultimately served a six-month old arrest warrant issued by Hon. Maria A. Cancino-Erum, Executive Judge of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 210 in Mandaluyong against a certain JIMMY CHUA alias “Jessie Chua”.

The six-man team proceeded to the subject apartment located at 173 Unit C Asuncion St., Morning Breeze, Caloocan City. They found a lady occupant, later identified as XIAOYAN WANG, 22 years old, a Chinese national with her 5-month old son cradled in her arms. The woman, who hardly speaks nor understands English and Filipino, claimed that no Jimmy Chua resides there.

At the course of the conversation, the operatives overheard loud thuds of footsteps on the roof, which prompted the team to disperse inside and enclosed the area. On the second floor, they found suspect, CAI HONG XUAN, 30 years old, and a kitchen-type laboratory with some improvised equipment, drug paraphernalia and an undetermined amount of white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu.

Minutes later, they were able to apprehend CAI LIAN QIAO, 38 years old – owner of the footsteps heard and common law spouse of Wang. Consequent to the discovery of the shabu laboratory, the team, then consummated the arrest of the above named suspects. The operating team later searched the suspects’ vehicle, A Honda CRV with plate number ZHW-257, uncovering fifteen (15) shabu sachets located at the console of the SUV.

The PDEA Chief said, “They say, diligence is the mother of good luck. We were not able to arrest our prime target. However, the operation paid huge dividends by way of dismantling a clandestine laboratory manned by targeted international drug dealers. We are profoundly grateful for the support extended by our counterparts from the Caloocan City Police for their pro-active participation in this undertaking”. Derrick Arnold C Carreon, Chief, Public Information Office, PDEA

QC CELEBRATES EDSA I

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has urged QC Hall officials and employees to continue preserving the spirit of the EDSA People Power, which he considered as one of the most enduring legacies of the Filipino people to the world.

In a speech during a flag-raising ceremony at QC Hall, the Mayor credited people power with restoring democracy in the country and the Filipinos’ freedom to express themselves.

“True democracy was what people power has given the nation,” the Mayor said.

He also credited people power with building a strong foundation for local government units.

While the Mayor was chairman of the Kabataang Barangay in Metro Manila during that time, he believed that people power brought the best out of the Filipinos and was instrumental in uniting them as one nation especially at that time when the country was   in a state of divisiveness.

“Sa ibang tao maituturing na balimbing ako, pero naniniwala pa din ako sa ipinaglaban ng people power.

According to the Mayor, people power is good when a ruler stays in power for a long time but cautioned that too much of such upheavals could ruin the institution.

In celebration of EDSA I, a photo exhibit at QC Hall is featuring pictures that captured the events during the five-day historic people power in 1986.  Mayor Bautista was joined by Deputy House Speaker Erin Tanada during the opening of the exhibit.

Quezon City, as host city, also mobilized the participation of the QC Hall employees and the barangays in the “Salubungan” near the Edsa Shrine. Precy/Maureen Quinones, PAISO

QC DAD WANTS CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES DISCUSSED IN SCHOOLS

The youth must be taught how to address the issue of climate change and global warming, a Quezon City councilor said.

In a resolution approved by the Quezon City Council, Councilor Gian Carlo Sotto urged the Department of Education to require the mandatory teaching of climate change and global warming in the primary and secondary schools.

Sotto said that with recent reports about the negative effects happening around the world brought by these weather phenomena, children must be taught how to address this issue through classroom discussions.

News reports also revealed that schools around the country and throughout Southeast Asia will start teaching these issues to their students.

The councilor said the proposal is not only timely but also vital as the Philippines is one of the five countries identified as among the most vulnerable to climate change due to its archipelagic nature and geography.

Sotto said that when that the teaching of climate change issues can be incorporated into certain subjects or presented as a separate subject and part of the curriculum. The subject can be called Environmental Studies, he added. Divine/Maureen Quinones, PAISO

QC HALL TO PROVIDE BACKUP PERSONNEL TO CITY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

The Quezon City government, through its anti-drug abuse advisory council, will provide the city prosecutor’s office with backup personnel to assist in the speedy disposition of drug-related cases in QC.

At least five to six additional personnel will be provided by the city to the prosecutor’s office and they will be deputized by the court as subpoena server or special messenger.  The city is also studying the possibility of providing these personnel with service vehicles to ensure the timely delivery of subpoena notices to law enforcers and witnesses.

The city’s move was in response to a request by QC Prosecutor Donald Lee for the formation of a city government task force that will assist the court in the immediate disposal of drug-related cases in the city.

To date, Lee said, there are only six prosecutors handling drug cases in Quezon City.

There is an increase of 15.89 percent in the number of drug cases filed in the city court from 2009 to 2010, Lee said.

In 2010, the prosecutor’s office registered a disposition rate of 93.74% in the number of drug cases filed in court.  This year, the court is eyeing a disposition rate of 89.47%.

The QC anti-drug abuse council, chaired by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, has mounted an all-out fight against illegal drugs by expanding coordinative efforts with various organizations and government agencies for the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated program designed to curb the city’s drug problem.

The city continues to be a pioneering local government unit in organizing drug free workplace policy as mandated by RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

QC was also the first local government unit in the country to use the e-technology to combat the drug problem. Precy/Maureen Quinones, PAISO

QC URGED TO ENDORSE REVIEW OF JUVENILE JUSTICE LAW

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has turned to the Quezon City government for a needed endorsement of a move seeking for a review of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act following a reported increase in the number of children being used by criminal elements for their illegal activities.

Minors used as drug couriers and ‘akyat-bahay” gang members have reportedly grown in number since the passage of the law, prompting the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to seek endorsement of support from Quezon City, which is one of the very first local government units that enforced the juvenile justice law.

The juvenile justice law, passed in 2005, exempts children aged 15 years and below from any criminal liability.

QC Acting Mayor Joy Belmonte, whose endorsement has been sought after by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robrero in the call to review the law, has also pressed for the establishment of community-based rehabilitative facilities for youth offenders to address the problem of juvenile delinquency.

“What we need is to provide a holistic approach in the treatment and rehabilitation of children in conflict with the law to make them productive citizens when they return to their families and communities,” said the Vice Mayor.

All children-in-conflict-with the law in Quezon City placed at the city government-operated Molave Youth Home, which serves as a detention and rehabilitation center for youth offenders in the city.

The facility, managed by the social services development department, provides youth offenders with shelter, food, clothing, academic and special educational programs, non-formal education as well as value formation activities designed to improve their well-being as productive members of the society.

To date, the Molave Youth Home has about 216 wards under its care.

Because of its outstanding practices in the management and treatment of youth offenders, the Molave Youth Home was awarded a special citation in the Pook Galing Awards in 2007.

For children with drug-related cases, the city government provides referral to the Tahanan Rehabilitation Center in Barangay Payatas. Precy/Maureen Quinones, PAISO

QC TO ENFORCE NO CONSTRUCTION POLICY ON GUTTED NHA PROPERTY

The Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (QCDRRMC) members, in coordination with the Barangay Central Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, will strictly implement a “no construction policy” in the National Housing Authority (NHA) property along Agham Road near Quezon Avenue where a recent fire left about 3000 families homeless.

This after the city’s Department of Building Official (DBO) had conducted evaluations on the property and recommended that for the welfare of the displaced families, no building permits shall be issued to the fire victims due to the possible danger that may arise if they are allowed to return to their gutted homes.

Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) chief and QCDRRMC action officer Elmo DG. San Diego said that the recommendation of the council is in accordance with the preventive measure that the city government had imposed for the safety of the fire victims and to prevent another destructive incident that may happen if they return to the site.

The DBO will not issue a building permit to the displaced families prior to their return considering that during the recently held council meeting, the NHA property was declared unfit for the construction of shanties made of light materials.

Strictly adhering to a disaster risk reduction and mitigation policy is one of the hallmarks of the present administration and an integral part of the city’s sustainable plans to ensure the safety of QC residents.

In a bid to sustain the city’s efforts to guarantee the safety of the populace, the QCDRRMC will restrain the fire victims of the charred NHA property from entering and constructing any structure within the blazed property.

The Social Services Development Department (SSDD), on orders of Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, is conducting stress management lectures to counter distress and is also providing the fire victims with three meals a day before they are transferred to the relocation sites within the NHA’s housing project in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan and Barangay San Isidro in Montalban.

About 514 displaced families were already relocated to the NHA housing project.

The Quezon City government already released a total of P13.5 million from its calamity fund to help the fire- displaced families in the city. Rico/Maureen Quinones, PAISO

Solon bat for permanent freeze in LRT/MRT fare rates

 

In the face of an imminent implementation of new fare rates for LRT and MRT, a lot of ruckus is created.  This is why Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo today calls for something than mere postponement.

 

“Rather than a mere deferment in the implementation of new fare adjustment rates on MRT and LRT, why can’t we propose instead of a permanent freeze in order not to disrupt the equilibrium that a constant shift in pricing could cause”, Castelo strongly pointed out.

 

Apparently, when user’s fees on LRT or MRT are adjusted, it creates an uproar from the general public dependent on these mass transport systems.  But the QC solon has a different take on the matter.

 

“After all, it is within the absorptive capacity of the government to subsidize our mass transport systems, albeit run and operated by the private sector.  As one of few basic public utilities that Filipinos have to fully enjoy, a State-subsidized mass transport systems do have social and economic benefits  that far outweigh the costs government incur to keep them in operation”, Castelo said.

 

According to Castelo, it is interesting to note that the LRTA opted to grant 20% off to students using the facility, if and when, new fare hikes will be implemented.

 

“With a proposed permanent freeze, shift in fare rates allowed every two years, would no longer be necessary on the part of the franchisee like LRT or MRT.  I think that a more studied review of the return on investment can justify this policy window that we are looking at”, Castelo finally quipped. 30

 

Nutrient Manager for Rice being tested in LSTD sites

 

Fast, credible information, 24/7.

Knowing the right fertilizer application is now easier with the development of Nutrient Manager for Rice (NMRice), a decision tool currently being used by farmers in the location-specific technology development (LSTD) project sites of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).

NMRice is being compared with the Leaf Color Chart, which is used to assess nitrogen status of rice plant and with the Minus-One Element Technique, which is used to diagnose soil nutrient status.

Using either internet or mobile phone, farmers and extension workers could learn the best fertilizer application that matches the needs of the rice crop in a specific field.

A project led by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in partnership with PhilRice and University of the Philippines-Los Baños, NMRice could be accessed by clicking http://www.irri.org/nmrice or calling, free of charge, 2378 for Globe subscribers.

Ruben B. Miranda, PhilRice Deputy Executive Director for Development, said the NMRice software calculates the nutrient requirements based on farmers’ answers to the multiple choice questions on the status of their rice fields. Miranda stressed that recommendations are only suited in a cropping season.

Meanwhile, Eufrocino V. Laureles, IRRI assistant scientist said the NMRice could help farmers achieve their target yield as information on the best time, amount, type of fertilizer needed are also computed with their expected yield. However, he said that the highest expected yield is limited to 9 t/ha.

The computer-based decision tool is a product of years of consolidated research on site-specific nutrient management among scientists from IRRI, PhilRice, and University of the Philippines-Los Banos. Information is available in Bicolano, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Tagalog, and English.

Meanwhile, NMRice mobile, was developed with DA-Agricultural Training Institute, University of Southeastern Philippines, and West Visayas State University.

DA-PhilRice is a government-owned and –controlled corporation that aims at developing high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

For more information, please visit or contact DA-PhilRice at Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija with telephone number (044) 456-0285 loc 511/512 or any PhilRice station near you. You may also visit their website at www.philrice.gov.ph or text your questions to 0920-911-1398.-30- Hannah Hazel Mavi Biag, PhilRice

DOST launches Tulong-Kababayan program for Libya OFWs

 

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) opens  doors of opportunities to Filipino Overseas Workers on voluntary repatriation from Libya to seek alternative means of livelihood through the DOST’s Tulong-Kababayan program.

This new program initiated by Sec. Mario G. Montejo, will provide free livelihood training to OFWs who were displaced and voluntarily repatriated from Libya. Affected OFWs  and their families can avail at DOST’s Technology Resource Center’s (TRC) various  hands-on livelihood trainings such as production of flavored and fortified juice,  layers (table egg) production, manufacture of fashion accessories, herbal bath soap, perfumes and colognes, among others.  Affected OFWs and their families who are management-oriented can also avail of other trainings such as a business operation, event planning and management, setting up a domestic ticketing office for airlines and shipping companies, bakery management, and others.

“This is our way of helping our displaced OFWs to quickly get back on track to being productive anew,” said DOST Secretary Mario Montejo. “We want to show to our people that they can start again through DOST’s technology training courses that will enable them to venture into entrepreneurship and business.”

“DOST’s Tulong-Kababayan also offers free assistance to these affected OFWs who want to avail of microfinancing through DOST-TRC’s partner institutions,” added DOST-TRC Director General Dennis Cunanan.

The program aims to assist OFWs who voluntarily repatriated from Libya, including their families, to return to the mainstream and become productive again through various livelihood and business options.

DOST-TRC is the science agency’s arm in providing technology-based products and services for livelihood and enterprise development of Filipinos. Particularly, it provides expert business and livelihood technology training courses that can transform ideas into practice and profits.

Interested OFWs may contact DOST-TRC’s Rene Oxina at the TRC office in 103 J. Abad Santos, Little Baguio, San Juan City or at telephone number 727-6205.  OFWs going home to the provinces may contact DOST’s regional offices through the office of Usec. for Regional Operations Carol  Yorobe at telephone number 837-2944. Available trainings this March 2011 can be viewed at http://www.trc.dost.gov.ph/ (S&T Media Service)