Rehabilitation
THE Davao City government has allotted P23 million for the rehabilitation of the Wireless Cemetery in Madapo Hill. Some P5 million has so far been released for the first phase of the project.
The amount covers phase one of the project including exhumation, which started early this year and is expected to be completed by October 28, before Halloween. Phase two of the project will cost P18 million and will be implemented after phase one.
More retirees
More retirees have settled in the Davao region according to the Philippine Retirement Authority which processed 120 retirees as of August, way beyond its target of 100 for the entire 2011. At present, there are 12 more foreign retirees waiting for the processing of needed documents.
Davao City is retirees’ top choice in Mindanao followed by Cagayan de Oro. Chinese nationals constitute the biggest number of retirees followed by Koreans, Japanese, Americans and Europeans in that order. The youngest retiree living in Davao is a 35-year-old Chinese while the oldest is a Japanese retiree at 94.
Zero strikes
THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) expressed optimism to sustain the zero-strike situation in the region this year as the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) performs to the fullest its task to settle labor rows as soon as they arise.
The Dole has also inspected 1,200 establishments in the region, 300 of which were found to have violated the existing wage order. The board is set to meet in the coming days to again monitor which of the violators have complied with the wage order.
Pinoy scholars
A NEW batch of Filipino professionals is back in the country after postgraduate studies in Australian universities from June 2010 to June 2011. The 29 professionals in different fields were awarded postgraduate and Masters degrees by the Philippines-Australia Human Resource and Organizational Development Facility (PAHRODF) through its Australian Development Scholarships program.
After completing their studies, the returning scholars are expected to apply the knowledge and skills they gained from their scholarships through their Re-Entry Action Plan (Reap) to contribute to the organizational change of their respective institutions. In this way, the scholarship program has a larger impact on broader Philippine development.
Tuna export
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has reduced the export fee on tuna to 0.2 percent from three percent to help shore up the tuna industry which grapples with an international fishing ban in pockets of the Pacific Ocean.
The DA approved the amendment of Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 233 issued in 2010, which stipulates fees for the issuance of export/re-export permits equivalent to 3 percent of the export value. The fee was reduced to merely 0.2 percent for all fish species caught in Philippine waters.
