by Lito Dar

The city government of Baguio, through the City Tourism Office, extends an invitation to tourism officers, local officials, and the muses of 10 key cities and municipalities here in Northern Luzon for the 2011 staging of ‘Sabsabong ti Mayo’ (Flowers of May).

In the Kapihan sa Baguio forum Wednesday, City Tourism Officer Benny Alhambra bared that they have invited the cities of Laoag and Batac of Ilocos Norte; Vigan and Candon of Ilocos Sur; San Fernando, La Union, and Dagupan, San Carlos, Urdaneta, and Alaminos of Pangasinan to join Baguio City and Tabuk City of Kalinga for this year’s staging of Sabsabong ti Mayo.

Alhambra explained that Sabsabong ti Mayo’ is a cultural and eco-tourism program and as a new product that they would like to develop to be a major tourism event, they are now partnering with other cities and key municipalities in this northern part of the country.

“We are converging here in Baguio to showcase the cultural and eco-tourism products especially the eco-fiber of the different places here in the north,” Alhambra said.

As the highlight of the event, a Santacruzan will be held on May 26 inside the SM City Baguio, which will be participated by the invited tourism officers as well as their cultural bearers or muses of their respective areas. An eco-fiber designer gown fashion show cum competition will also be held.

On Friday, the city guests will also join some of the city barangays for a ‘Santacruzan’, which will start at Session Road to the Baguio Convention Center wherein the Sabsabong ti Mayo will be culminated by an ‘anido’ (bonfire) for an informal meeting of the minds and gathering through bonfire, accompanied by dance, music and food.

Alhambra also disclosed that they will also be holding a participative development forum with their fellow tourism officers, to have an assessment of the ‘Sabsabong’ activity.

“Very briefly we would like to make an assessment, on what Sabsabong is all about and in line with our vision towards establishing it to be a major program of the city for the second quarter, after Panagbenga.

In partnership with eco-tourism officers and leaders on the North, we want to make this as a major event and to come out with programs on how we can also promote each other,” Alhambra said. *(JDP/LD-PIA CAR)

by Vency D. Bulayungan

LAGAWE, Ifugao- The Commission on Elections is reminding the public that registration of voters is now ongoing in the different municipal Comelec offices.

Speaking in the daily program “Humangan with PIA,” election officer Jerome Bantiyan is encouraging those who are qualified to vote especially students, to visit their COMELEC offices now as it is still vacation time to avoid overcrowding on the last minute of registration.

He cited past registrations where registrants come at the last minute or request for extension because they were not able to register during the given period.



Bantiyan said those who are qualified to register are Filipino citizens who are 18 years of age; residents of the Philippines for at least one year, and in the place wherein he proposes to vote, for at least six months immediately preceding the election; and those no disqualified by law.



On the other hand, Bantiyan said that those who are disqualified from registering are those: persons who had been imprisoned for not less than one year and have not been removed by plenary pardon or amnesty; any person who had been adjudged of having committed any crime involving disloyalty to the duly constituted government, such as rebellion or any crime against national security unless restored to his full civil and political rights in accordance with law; and the insane or incompetent persons as declared by competent authority that such person is no longer insane or incompetent.

“Any person disqualified to register due to imprisonment shall automatically reacquire the right to vote upon expiration of five years after service of sentence,” Bantiyan said.



Applicants must personally appear before the election officer, Bantiyan said. *(JDP/VDB-PIA CAR, Ifugao)

by Dan B. Codamon

ASIPULO, Ifugao - You’ve got to hand it to the Ifugaons to rise above issues and squabbles. While debates on the controversial reproductive health bill have been raging in the country, this young town of Ifugao is happily implementing its own Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood Ordinance.

Passed and approved in 2007, the local officials deemed the ordinance necessary, as it is responsive to the needs of the modern family and community setting in order to achieve sustainable development.
Mayor Eladio Bang-ud said the ordinance is an integrated and comprehensive reproductive health care and responsible parenthood focused on the time-honored value of respect for human dignity, people’s rights, and their families.

It is founded on the principle upholding the right of every person including the right to equality and equity, the right to development, right to reproductive health, right to education, and the right to choose and make independent decisions on the number, spacing, and timing of their children in accordance with one’s religious convictions, cultural beliefs, and demands of responsible parenthood, Bang-ud added.

Among the specific objectives that the Ordinance seek to address are the provision of maternal, pre-natal, infant and children nutrition and health care, family planning information and services, prevention of abortion among women of reproductive ages, and management of complications related to it, provide for the elimination of violence against women, provide for male involvement in reproductive health, prevention and management of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmittable infectious diseases and education and counseling on sexuality and sexual health.

To ensure the effective implementation of the local law, a Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood Council was created. Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) were also tapped to assist in the provision of reproductive health information and organize responsible parenthood classes and special counseling sessions. *(JDP/DBC-PIA CAR, Ifugao)

by Maritess B. Beñas
BANGUED, Abra-The Social Security System (SSS) has recently issued a circular regarding the revised installment payment scheme for employers on delinquent payment of contributions and loan amortizations.


Abra SSS branch manager Benedicta Garcia, in an interview, explained that Circular No. 2011-002 series of 2011 pertains to the guidelines in the installment payment scheme for employers covering all employers
including household employers who are delinquent or has not remitted all contributions and salary/calamity loan amortizations for at least six months including penalties due and payable to the SSS.

Garcia said an employer shall be given 30 days upon receipt of the final demand letter to submit a proposal to settle its liabilities. Otherwise, the SSS shall file a case of non-remittance of SSS contribution and loan amortization against the employer.

For employers with pending collection cases, the SSS may still accept the proposal and the employer may move for the provisional dismissal of the case without objection from the SSS. However, in the event that the employer again fails to remit its full delinquency or defaults up to two monthly payments and/or non-payment of current contribution/salary/calamity loan amortizations, and/or non-compliance of any of the terms and conditions of the installment payment proposal, SSS may re-file the case against the employer.

The installment proposal shall be received and approved by the branch head subject to the following conditions: 1) the contribution delinquency shall be subject to the three percent penalty per month for late payment, the salary/calamity loan delinquency to the one percent penalty per month for late payment until full payment in accordance with the approved payment plan.


Second, the total delinquency shall be in accordance with the schedule of monthly installment such as: P2,000, payable in 24 months; for the total amount of delinquency of over P2,000 but not over P5,000, the maximum number of monthly installment is 36 months; and for those with total delinquency of over P5,000, the maximum number of monthly installments shall be 48 months.

Upon submission of the installment proposal, the employers shall be required to pay at least five percent of the total delinquency as down payment, she explained.

The approval of the installment proposal does not excuse the employer from remitting his current contributions and salary/calamity loan amortizations every month as they fall due.

With the availment of this scheme, the employers may restore their privilege of availing the short-term loans from the SSS. *(JDP/MTBB-PIA CAR, Abra)