80 trike drivers, 22 vendors benefit from DOLE’s livelihood aid in Dumaguete City

By Jenifer Catan-Tilos

Department of Labor and Employment representative Rubie Cempron (4th from left) turns over the machine shop equipment to members of the Metro Dumaguete Motorcab Operators and Drivers’ Association (MEDUMODA) in Dumaguete City. (PIA Negros Oriental/Lupad Dumaguete photo)

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — Transporting passengers was the sole source of income in the past for the 80 members of Metro Dumaguete Motorcab Operators and Driver’s Association (MEDUMODA).

However, with the livelihood assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the drivers’ group now has their own machine shop and services business.

MEDUMODA president Rolando Anadon said the group received jigs, materials, and equipment worth P1 million from DOLE.

“Over 30 years of driving, kini na business dugay na namong gihandom na gihatag sa gobyerno na nakatabang kaayo namo,” said Anadon. 

(In over 30 years of driving, we have long dreamt of putting up this business, and now the government has helped us realize it.) 

He said they would no longer have to suffer from the high prices that they used to incur when availing of the services from the other machine shops.

“Dako kaayo among kalipay sa tabang, ug nagpasalamat kami sa Dole sa pagsalig kanamo niini na project,” said Anadon.

(We are very happy for this assistance and would like to thank DOLE for trusting us on this project.)

DOLE has granted the motorcab drivers and operators and some vendors in Dumaguete City a total of P1.5 million worth of livelihood assistance.

Boost in flower vending business

The 22 members of the association of vendors of plants and flowers in the city also received a boost in their business in time for the Valentine’s Day celebration in February. 

DOLE has released a check worth P500,000 to the association through its president, Nieves Sardan, as their additional capital.

The vendors have been selling different kinds of flowers, such as roses, daisies, orchids, gardenia, and tulips among others, at the Dumaguete City Public Market.

“Nalipay jud mi kaayo kay dako’g tabang kini dili lamang dugang sa puhunan usab dugang income alang sa among tagsa-tagsa ka pamilya na kinahanglanon sa eskwela, balon sa mga bata,” said Sardan. 

(We are very happy, as this would be a big help not only for our investment but also for additional income for each family and to help pay for school expenses.)

She said the government, through DOLE, has helped the flower vendors who fall under the category of small entrepreneurs.

DOLE information officer designate Raizza Rubia said the agency also provided one-year insurance coverage to the beneficiaries through the Government Service Insurance System. 

SSS RACE campaign gains support from affected workers of delinquent establishments

By Jenifer Catan-Tilos

Social Security System’s ‘Run After Contribution Evaders’ (RACE) team led by SSS Vice President for Visayas West 1 Division Dr. Lilani Benedian (2nd from left) sits down with an employer and employee during one of their establishment visits on February 29, 2024 in Dumaguete City. (PIA Negros Oriental)

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — The Social Security System has issued show cause orders to seven delinquent employers in Dumaguete City under its “Run After Contribution Evaders” (RACE) campaign in the city. 

This was disclosed by SSS Vice President for Visayas West 1 Division Dr. Lilani Benedian, who said the SSS RACE Team has given delinquent establishments 15 days to comply with their obligations.

Some of the 84 employees affected by the delinquent employers thanked SSS for visiting their establishment. 

“Para nako, nalipay ko na mibisita ang mga opisyales sa SSS kay para sa among contributions ma butangan sab sa pila ka months na wala maka remit,” said Maryjane (not her real name), one of the affected workers. 

(For me, I am happy that SSS officials have visited our store so that our contributions that have not been remitted for months will be addressed.) 

Mayjane hopes that her employer will pay their counterpart contribution to SSS of the 15 affected employees in the company she is working for.

“Akong hangyoon and akong amo na mobayad sa ilang obligasyon sa SSS ug bason maningkamot pud sila na makabayad sa among contributions para sab sa kaayohan namong mga empleyado maka avail sa mga benefits ug aron sab ko maka loan,” she said. 

(I will remind my boss to pay their obligations to SSS. Hopefully, they will make an effort to pay the contributions for our security and we can avail of the benefits and I can apply for loans.) 

Another affected employee, Richard (not his real name), thanked SSS for their campaign as it would benefit them. 

“Wala baya ko kabalo na wala diay mi kuhai ug SSS sa among amo, natingala sab ko ngano naabot ang mga taga SSS diri, salamat na niari sila para sab sa kaayohan namo, ayaw lang ibutang ako ngalan kay mainitan nya ko,” he said. 

(I haven’t realized that our boss has not been paying our SSS contributions until they came here. Thanks to them as this is also for our own good.)

For the benefit of employees

Benedian said the RACE campaign aims for delinquent employers to address their deficiencies and comply with their obligations. 

“Our intention here is not to run after them to file a case. Our priority is for them to comply so that the benefit or welfare of the employees is protected,” said Benedian.

The delinquent establishments, whose contribution delinquencies totaled P3.3 million, involve a big wholesaler, trading, construction firm, car wash, health service provider, clinic, and pharmacy.

“The RACE is one of the strategies of SSS to collect delinquencies from employers, but we focus on the welfare of the employees,” said Benedian.

The delinquent establishments are issued notices of violations due to unregistered employees, non-remittance of contributions, under-reporting of employees, and employees who were deducted of contributions but failed to remit it to SSS.

SSS offers various programs to help employers and allow them to pay installment schemes for unremitted contributions, contribution penalty condonation, and delinquency management and restructuring programs. 

Benedian said that after receiving the order, delinquent employers are given 15 days to coordinate with the SSS branch office in Dumaguete City and settle their contribution delinquencies.

SSS will file legal cases against erring establishments that fail to take action within the 15-day period for violation of the Social Security Act of 2018.

DepEd cites importance of community-based monitoring system in education sector

By Jenifer Catan-Tilos

DepEd – Negros Oriental Division Superintendent Dr. Neri Ojastro cites the importance of CBMS in the education sector during the Data Dissemination on 2022 CBMS results held on Feb 22, 2024 in Dumaguete City. (PIA7-Negros Oriental)

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — The community-based monitoring system (CBMS) is a vital tool in coming up with informed decisions in the education sector. 

This was emphasized by Department of Education (DepEd) Negros Oriental Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Neri Ojastro after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported the results of the 2022 CBMS. 

“As a guiding instrument, the data generated in the CBMS would help our school programs centered on health, internet connectivity, education, nutrition, child protection or child labor among others,” said Ojastro. 

PSA recently turned over the 2022 CBMS survey results to the local government units (LGUs) of Amlan, Ayungon, Bindoy, Bayawan City, Canlaon City, Guihulngan City, San Jose, and Sta. Catalina during a Provincial Statistics Committee meeting in the city. 

They are the pilot LGUs that allocated a budget for the CBMS survey and were able to complete their data collection. 

Ojastro said the CBMS data will help them especially in determining the current nutritional status of school children in the communities. 

“This is what we need as we are also implementing the school-based feeding program. We need the data on the current nutritional status of children in the community, and how many children who are not in school, undernourished, so they can enjoy the program if the parents allow the children to go to school,” he said. 

Data-based interventions

PSA chief statistical specialist Ariel Fortuito said the CBMS will help decision makers in the LGUs address the concerns in their areas that need appropriate interventions and prioritization, such as access to electricity of households, internet connections, food insecurity, schooling status of the school-aged population, safety and security, water, sanitation, hygiene, among others.

The 2022 CBMS covers the data collection in 2021. 

One of the survey results presented by PSA is the number of households that experienced skipping a meal at least once in the past 12 months due to lack of resources.

Of the eight LGUs that received the CBMS data, Sta. Catalina ranked the highest with 21.63 percent followed by Bindoy with 16.18 percent, while Amlan logged the lowest number of households that missed a meal at only 6.53 percent. 

Using this data, local officials can craft comprehensive plans that will better address nutrition and food security concerns and promote sustainable agriculture in their area, said Fortuito. 

The PSA official said the survey also identifies vulnerable members of the community, which can be used for evidence-based planning and budgeting in the LGUs. 

(l-r) Provincial Statistics Committee (PSC) Chair Engr. Ingo Ash Julian Mercado of the Provincial Planning Development Office (PPDO) together with Engr. Ariel Fortuito, chief statistical specialist of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) presides the PSC regular meeting on Feb. 22 in Dumaguete City. (PIA Negros Oriental)

Anti-child labor campaign

DepEd is helping in the government’s anti-child labor campaign by using the statistics to identify children who are working and not going to school. 

The 2022 CBMS contains data on the number of high school children who stopped going to school or dropped out from school. 

“We can improve our campaign to bring students back to school, because you know if ang bata is hago o kapoy is one of the factors maka affect sa iyang learning kana iyang fatigue,” said Ojastro.

(We can improve our campaign to bring students back to school, because if the child is tired from working, it will affect his or her capacity to learn.) 

DepEd also plans to tap the LGUs and other government agencies, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, so they can include parents and stakeholders in their educational programs. 

CBMS is a technology-based data collection and processing system that targets households and is used as a basis for poverty alleviation programs.

It entails a census of households undertaken by the LGU with the participation of the community using accelerated poverty profiling systems in the data.