Baanag reaches out to Mountain Province IPs

SAGADA, Mountain Province - The Presidential Communications Operations Office reached out to indigenous peoples in this town and in Bontoc last week.

The PCOO Gender and Development Focal Point System (GFPS) led by PCOO Assistant Secretary Maria Paz Banaag conducted a cultural exchange and outreach program for a group of tour guides from the northern barangays of this town called BFTAMP(Bangaan, Fidelisan, Tanulong, Aguid, Madongo and Pide).

At least 120 members of the BFTAMP Tour Guides composed mostly of women, and barangay officials interacted with about 40 representatives from the PCOO and its attached agencies namely News and Information Bureau (NIB), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Radio-TV Malacanang (RTVM), Philippine Broadcasting Services (PBS), People’s Television Network (PTV), Bureau of Communications Services (BCS), National Printing Office (NPO), and APO Production Unit with the Cordillera regional offices of the PIA, PNA, PTV and Radyo Pilipinas Bontoc.

Banaag said the event is part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive of bringing government services to people. She said that the PCCO is conducting such activity to be more in touch with the indigenous peoples/ communities such as the Igorots of Mountain Province.

The event, she said, was a way of letting the employees from the PCOO and its attached agencies learn about the culture and traditions of the IPs and how to be more sensitive about the things that should be respected about the different cultural minorities.

A talk by Angel Abella of the Office of the PCOO Secretary on how the organization would be creating a sustainable tourism plan was also part of the program.

The PCOO gave simple items to tour guides which they can use in their activities.

BFTAMP Secretary Alice Daoas thanked the PCOO for the opportunity to be visited in their place and for the tokens. She said they would be applying in their organization the things that they learned and they are looking forward to the next outreach program and interaction by the PCOO.

The event was capped by a night of gong beating and dancing of traditional Igorot dances led by Mayor James Pooten and Vice Mayor Ben Capuyan and former mayors Tom Killip and Eduard Latawan.

Meanwhile, in

Bontoc, the PCOO turned over useful gears to the Bontoc Women Brigade led by Carolina Castaneda. The Bontoc Women Brigade is a group of elderly women that help keep peace and order in the town by going around and knocking at establishments and encouraging costumers to go home by 10 in the evening.

Banaag said the PCOO recognizes the efforts of the Bontoc Women Brigade in keeping the capital town of Mountain Province a peaceful and orderly place.

The PCOO team also participated in the parade of the 51st Foundation Anniversary of Mountain Province and the 14th Lang-ay Festival as part of the promotion of the Gender and Development. Redjie Melvic Cawis PIA CAR

Kalinga PDRRMO boosts SSB radio system for disaster response

CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga - In a bid to ensure continued communication link especially during disasters, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office is upgrading existing ‘single side band’ (SSB) radio communication system in the province.

PDRRMO Richard Anniban said the province is set to acquire its own radio signal repeater to boost the reach of SSB radio down to the municiLacsamana palities particularly in the upland.

The move stemmed from the province’s experience with typhoon ‘Lawin’ when all telecommunication networks bogged down isolating Kalinga for almost a month.

Underlining the crucial role of communication, Anniban stressed through the SSB radio, gathering of situation reports from affected sites is possible enabling disaster response centers to act and provide immediate relief and rescue operation.

The PDRRMO, he said, will put-up a common radio frequency that is accessible to all radio networks, government and private, purposely for disaster response.

‘While there are volunteer radio communication groups in the province, we need to organize as one so that we can be more effective especially in times of disasters’, Anniban said.

Disaster response is effective if there is accurate assessment established in the field and this we can make if we have operational communication link when calamities occur, he added.

For disaster response, the province had acquired heavy equipments for road clearing operation, rubber boats and dump trucks for rescue and transport of relief goods. PIA Kalinga