ACLC College Gensan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews) – Close to a thousand tuna industry workers in this city who had lost their jobs due to the impact of the two-year fishing ban in the high seas off the Western and Central Pacific Ocean have so far received P3.629 million worth of assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Lawyer Ma. Gloria Tango, DOLE Region 12 director, said Monday at least 957 displaced workers from eight companies under the local tuna fishing and processing sectors have already availed of various livelihood packages and other related assistance offered by the agency
since the fishing ban started last January 1.

She said they provided livelihood or small business starter kits, emergency employment and free basic safety training to the workers and included their dependents in the Kabataan Information Technology Opportunities program.

Last week, Tango said they released additional livelihood or Kabuhayan starter kits to 142 workers who were directly affected by the tuna fishing ban.

She said the livelihood packages, which were worth P5,000 each, included bicycles for balut vending as well as basic equipment and supplies for carenderia or small eateries, massage therapy and dressmaking businesses.

Tango said they released the packages following the approval of the project proposals that were earlier submitted by the beneficiaries to DOLE-12.

“We’ve been encouraging the affected workers to go into small business ventures so they will have alternative livelihood sources during the duration of the fishing ban and even beyond,” she said.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PNA) – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) of Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao will meet here Thursday with leaders and representatives of organized labor groups, local firms or employers and concerned non-government and government agencies to discuss a possible increase in the daily minimum wages of private workers in the region.

Renato Gardose, RTWPB-12 information officer, said Tuesday the scheduled meeting here is part of the two-day consultations and public hearing set by the wage board regarding the proposed wage adjustment for the region.

“Until now, we have not received any petition for wage increase so the board is initiating these hearings by its own,” Gardose told the Philippines News Agency.

Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.

The RTWPB-led regional consultations and public hearings are scheduled at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Phela Grande Hotel and at the same on Friday at the AJ Hitime Hotel in Kidapawan City.

Gardose said they expect more than 100 labor, management and public sector representatives will participate in the scheduled hearings here and in Kidapawan City.

Koronadal City (NEDA-PPFD/DE Doguiles/PIA 12) -- Sarangani Governor Dominguez Miguel Rene A. Dominguez, the outgoing chairperson of the Regional Development Council XII (RDC XII) received fresh nomination to head the council from 2010 to 2013 during the reorganizational meeting held at the Del Rio Splash Resort in Koronadal City on August 24.

Nominated with him were Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza and General Santos City Mayor Darlene Magnolia Antonino-Custodio from among the local executives, and Mr. Alfredo Bronx Hebrona Jr., Dr. Rolando Doria and Mr. Ramon Floresta from among the private sector representatives.

Their names will be submitted to President Benigno Aquino III who will select and appoint the new chairperson and co-chairperson of RDC XII in the next three years.

During the meeting, Dominguez also swore into office the 12 new Private Sector Representatives (PSRs) to the council.

Those sworn in were: Hebrona (Sultan Kudarat Province), Doria (Economic Development Sector), Floresta (North Cotabato and Kidapawan City), Vispocious Ramos Sr. (Sultan Kudarat Province), Rodrigo Olarte Jr. (General Santos City), Martiniano Magdolot (South Cotabato Province), Nestor Lumawig (Koronadal City), Yusoph Mohamad (Cotabato City), Karl Vincent Queipo (Social Development Sector), Enrique Marcelino (Governance and Institutions Development), Joemarie Angeles (Labor Sector), and Richlie Lyndon Magtulis (Infrastructure Development Sector).

In his speech before turning the responsibility over to vice chairperson Teresita Socorro C. Ramos, Dominguez stressed the importance of developing and enhancing partnership among the regional line agencies, private sector, and the local government units.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PNA) – Police authorities here have recorded at least 65 gun-related killings, most of which reportedly involving suspected hired killers, during the last eight months.

Supt. Maximo Layugan, deputy city police director, said their records showed that an average of eight persons was killed every month in various shooting or gun-related incidents that happened in the city since January.

“The emerging pattern so far shows that most of the killings here involved hired killers,” Layugan said during the Police Regional Office 12's weekly radio program “Bayan, Kayo Ang Boss Namin” aired Sunday.

Since July 1, he said they already recorded at least 18 shooting incidents in the city that were mostly pulled off by motorcyle-riding suspects.

Last week, a top official of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Region 12 was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding suspects while he was about to enter their office here.

Layugan admitted that they have yet to establish the motive of the killing of BFAR-12 Quarantine Officer Dante Demerin but said the circumstances of the incident showed that the suspects were likely guns-for-hire.

He said they were looking at the same pattern in the killing of Barangay Calumpang Councilor Carlito Cahilsot, who was shot dead after attending the barangay council's session last August 4.