by Leah T. Quintana

Butuan City (15 August) -- A total of 43,247 poor households in Caraga region were targeted for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a development program of the government that is being implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The program provides cash assistance but in return, beneficiaries are required to comply with the conditions set by 4Ps, namely; pregnant women must get pre-natal care, child birth must be attended by a skilled or trained person, and mothers must get post natal care, children 0-5 must get regular health checkups and vaccinations, children 3-5 years old must attend day care/pre-school at least 85 percent of the time, children 6-14 must attend school at least 85 percent of the time, and parents must attend "mothers classes" and "parent effectiveness seminars".

At present, says DSWD Caraga director Mercedita P. Jabagat, Caraga region has a total of 1,296 household beneficiaries who have been receiving cash subsidy which they draw from the LandBank's ATM since February 1, 2008. She said beneficiaries get a P500 every month for health and nutrition package and P 300 for education per child ages 6-14 with a maximum of three children.

The amount of subsidy, however, varies depending on the number of children beneficiaries in every household, Jabagat clarifies. She points out those households with three (3) children who qualified for the subsidy gets the maximum amount, which is P1,400 every month; the one with two children has P1,100 and the one with only one (1) child, P800.

by Jose Jemuel B. Dael

Butuan City (23 June) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo tried for herself the Greater Modular Access (GMA) job kiosk as she look for career opportunities for mining industry during her visit to the provincial capitol of Surigao del Sur in Tandag on June 19, says a director of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Regional Director Chona Mantilla of DOLE today said that the President is happy for bringing in job opportunities closer to the people thru the GMA Jobs Center.

Info materials from DOLE showed that GMA Jobs Center is the country's first information machine containing data on hot or in-demand jobs and other relevant information and services for workers seeking employment locally and overseas.

Dir. Mantilla said that with the coming in of employment kiosks in Caraga, job seekers can save time and money since they need not travel to big cities just to look for employment opportunities.

She also said that there are about one hundred units of job kiosks placed all-over the country after the national government released P10-M for its purchase.

She added that there are four units of GMA job kiosk in Caraga which can be found in Tandag, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, Surigao City and Butuan City.

Dir. Mantilla also said that aside from the employment kiosk, there were 2,305 jobs opened during that day in Tandag wherein some 97 Surigaonons applied for overseas and local employment.

Philip Oliverio of DOLE Tandag, also said that during the initial screening, out of the 97 applicants only 53 Surigaonons qualified to apply for the position and scheduled for the final interview.