TUGUEGARAO CITY NEWS

If you are one of those who buy livelihood products such as Cacao Balls, Chichacorn and Peanut Pastillas from the RIC, thanks to you! You have helped women from Tuguegarao’s different barangays to earn. And you have been instrumental in their first achievement in the history of their organization. With its theme, "Sports for discipline, team work and excellence, schools first initiative: athletes first, winning second" this year, the Tuguegarao City Athletic Association Meet opened at Cagayan Sports Complex on last January 23-25.

The sports event was participated by athletes from Elementary: East, West, North, Northeast District, and PRIBEA (Private Elementary Association) and Secondary: CNHS Main, CNHS Linao, CNHS Catag, Gosi Nat’l HS, PRISAA (Private Schools Athletic Association).

Conducted in preparation for the CAVRAA (Cagayan Valley Regional Athletic Association), the City Meet 2007 had its young athletes compete in sporting games such as basketball, volleyball, swimming, athletics, table tennis, lawn tennis, taekwondo, arnis, sepak takraw, sipa, baseball, softball, football, dance sport, gymnastics and archery.

The Tuguegarao City Local Government Unit extended financial assistance to each delegate: P300 and P350 for the elementary and high school athletes, respectively.

Last year’s grand champions were West District for the Elementary and CNHS for the High School level.

City Mayor Randolph S. Ting motivates tricycle drivers in the MRM Training. With him are (from left to
right) City Councilors Supremo Bautista, Danilo Baccay, Calixto Melad
and TODA Federation President Rey Ramirez.

The City Government of Tuguegarao launched the Motorcycle Repair and Maintenance Skills Training Cum Values Education Seminar for the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) of the city last January 15, 2007 at the Ugac Sur Gymnasium.

The first of the nine batches until the 19th of April, the said training was participated by the TODA of Ugac Sur, Lecaros, Arellano and Centro 1-10.

Aside from the training on motorcycle repair and maintenance skills training given by Mr. Felix Masirag of TESDA, the participants also had a seminar on Values Education with speakers from DepEd, PDEA, LTFRB, SP, LTO, DENR, LTO, POPCOM and CHO.

City Councilor and Transportation and Communication Committee Vice-Chair Danilo L. Baccay stated the rules and regulations of the training.

Mayor Randolph S. Ting said, the training will greatly help the tricycle drivers especially in the financial aspect since they can repair and maintain their tricycles themselves instead of bringing it to repair shops.

In fact, as a gift, Mayor Ting gave them new sets of tools for their tricycles.

After completing the LGU-funded training, TESDA will award certificates to the participants in a simple graduation ceremony to be conducted after the seminar.

These certificates will be required upon the renewal of Mayor’s permit of the different TODA in the city.

For three years now, the City Government provides a one-stop-shop for all businessmen who renew or apply for business permits.

In this scheme, all signatories involved in the process of securing permits are gathered in front of the BPL Office to hasten the procedure, prevent delay and lessen effort of clients in touring around the City Hall just to have their documents signed.

The signatories needed in the business application form are the following: CPDC for zoning clearance, Assessor’s Office for , Engineering for building permit, BFP for fire clearance and Health for sanitation inspection.

“This strategy helps our businessmen in speeding up the process of renewing their permits especially that these people always seem to be in a hurry,” said BPLO Rene Taguibao.

Proclaimed in 2005 as One of the Outstanding City Social Welfare and Development Officers of the Philippines by the Association of Local Social Welfare and Development Officers of the Philippines, Inc., Ms. Myrna Guzman Te was recognized of her exemplary performance and invincible contribution in the field of Social Welfare and Development Sector. She has gained the respect of the community by her strong convictions, her biased free attitude to clients, her eloquence and commitment in imploring the strategic directions of the city, her underrated work attitude, and her agency’s accomplishments in changing the lives and the society at large.

As the City Social Welfare and Development Officer of a bustling urban city like Tuguegarao that not just promised a bigger funding, it has also brought forth many social problems and social issues besetting the women, youth, children, elderlies and persons with disabilities. These problems in the community were brought to the office of social welfare whose staff are ordinary people themselves whose lives were not spared of personal problems and difficulties.

After the Hall of Fame Award achieved by Tuguegarao City from the three consecutives years of winning the Search for the Most Child Friendly Component City in the Philippines, her office spearheads the continuous implementation of child friendly movement in all forty-nine barangays in the city. She conducts regular weekly meeting with the fifty-two Day Care Workers and sees to it that the Day Care Program of the city is always at par with world class performance and responds to the needs on early childhood care and development of all children. These day care centers are well furnished with adequate learning materials, educational tools and playground facilities, all of which were procured from the fund raising drive conducted by the CSWD through the annual Coronation of Kiddie King and Queen, from the millions of the Search’s prize and resource generation by the office in partnership with the Federation of Day Care Parents Committee Association and other Government Organizations and Non-Government Organization. To date, the Tuguegarao among all cities has innovated on the formulation of weekly session plan prepared by hired Day Care Specialist which is to be delivered by the 52 Day Care Centers and centralized test questions to monitor the learning directions of children.

The CSWD, with the PNP Tuguegarao, conducts unannounced monitoring on conspicuous hang-outs of delinquent minor children. The so called “UP” which means Utun na Plasa was the usual midpoint of these children. They find solace in the dimly lighted corridors and cold pavements but not recognizing the hazards of it to their welfare. Under her recommendations, apprehended children caught in these places in wee hours at night were brought for temporary custody of the office, sent for rehabilitation while families were given counseling for their imminent reintegration. Though work intervention is very challenging on this kind of social misfit, many victims have gained new hope and lived new life through guidance and professional help extended.

Mushrooming of videoke houses on the other hand is unabated because of lucrative income gained from it. The city according to confessions of sex workers, is their haven whereby they received humane treatment from customers. Yet, despite the interest of the city for additional income from the taxes of these establishments, the CSWD upholds to its call to protect children and women from exploitation. The monitoring of videoke houses initiated by the office has rescued prostituted children and were able to close two videoke houses violating the welfare of women and children.

The Alternative Learning Center which is the special project of the city has successfully reintegrated the out-of-school youth and even adults back to the regular school. Mrs. Te who is the city coordinator of the program was able to convince the Mayor of a college scholarship grant extended to all Non-Formal Education Equivalency and Accreditation program completers and who passed the National Examination conducted by the Department of Education. The Tuguegarao West Learning Center has catered to two learning groups comprising of women and minor inmates at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Cataggaman.

The rights and privileges of disabled persons were recognized and highlighted by empowering this group to be able to create a beautiful life from their handicap, abilities from their disabilities and confidence from their insecurity. Adequate funds were allocated for their education, assistive devices and livelihood. Livelihood assistance was extended and accessibility to services and resources were secured. She has pushed for the creation of the Office of the Persons with Disability Affairs to the Sangguniang Panlungsod. All these achievements are proofs that indeed she deserves the award of Outstanding Social Worker during the Paulinian Centennial Celebration.

News Archive ►