City garments manufacturing enterprise

Helping women help themselves

As women, house wives, homemakers and often house-bound feel they do not contribute much to feeding the family even if they cook the food everyone eats, empowering them to be sufficient while getting them new skills worked for the city government. Especially when most work, ground to a halt, due to the pandemic.

It was also during the pandemic when families sought for ways that that income as a dressmaker nearly dripped dry.

As women, work at home was almost full time, and the depression that comes with that, is almost always, contagious among women peers.

While it was the most case, it was not much different for a dressmaker sustaining her family with the home dress shop.

Left with a family to feed on her own as her husband’s workplace stopped, Crispina delos Reyes, of Manga District here had her hands full on the job.

She even has both her feet pedaling, her left hand turning the sewing machine’s balance wheel and her left hand feeding cloth and playing with the pressing bar, all to feed her family and buy her way te ensure her family’s safety from the virus.

All of these, for a few pesos of income, for her family table.

It was also that same time when the City Government of Tagbilaran was also into organizing women and doing a survey on a fitting livelihood support which the city would implement for affected sectors.

“The City Government of Tagbilaran implements this new program called Bangon ug Abante sa Bag-ong Asenso Livelihood, where we surveyed women needing additional income and the survey showed their interest in dressmaking and tailoring, revealed City Livelihood and Community Development Unit (CLCDU) head Adelfa Salutan, during an interview.

Helping women getting empowered, has also been a new shift in the city administration under its first and youngest lady Mayor Jane Yap.

With this, and after a series of validating consultations and workshops, the City Government decided to procure industrial quality heavy duty sewing machines, while the CLCDU organized the women and arranged for the necessary training to establish an ambitious garments manufacturing and production line.

“From their chosen skills training in dressmaking and tailoring, we asked, why don’t we allow the city women to prepare the uniforms, than ordering it from outside and get the hassle of ill-fits and late deliveries?” Salutan remarked.

It may be recalled that the City Government gave free uniforms to public school kindergarten to elementary pupils under former City mayor John Geesnell Yap II.

Under Mayor Jane Yap, the future is even brighter, according to Salutan who formerly works in the environment management sector of the Bohol Environment Management Office.

Mayor Jane Yap in her election campaign promised to double her support over what her husband has given to the women and other sectors in the city, she recalls, self-conscious during the recorded interview.

“Help women,” she told me, Salutan said as she hinted how these women also help each other take up the skills during their training. “This is empowerment at its best.”

Starting off with the huge demand for city public school uniforms, the few women who were jobless during the pandemic sat on the city garments factory to keep up to the task, Salutan said.

And then there were more training, all to keep them hone their skills and bond as a team.

“We did two batches of trainings from Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and now we have 50 women who are aptly trained to run the production line in the garments manufacturing, as soon as we launch it,” she said.

While she considered some trained women to find other commitments than in the city enterprise, Salutan believes everything is ready for launch.

Housed now at the second floor of the new City Business Center of the new City Bureau of Fire Protection Office in Dao, the new City Garments manufacturing production line has its equipment in place awaiting for the grand launch.

And while the CLCDU is consolidating its team for the production line, delos Reyes, along with a few seasoned seamstress, are taking side orders, while the newly trained under the mentorship of the skilled, take turns perfecting the craft, using the City equipment.

“With everything running on electric power, it is better here because we can produce fast, unlike in the house where I use manual power,” delos Reyes compares.

While waiting for the operationalization of the garments manufacturing, delos Reyes and a few women have their hands full in completing the thousands of city public school uniforms, as well as many side orders.

“We are happy that immediately after the training, they have their hands full in completing the task at hand, which now includes the official uniform of the city government, shares Salutan.

In fact, apart from the city uniform, and some separate offices ordering their customized uniforms, the women are also accepting outside jobs.

“I have told my former patrons to find me here at the City garments, and they come,” delos Reyes also said.

“From the 50 who joined the training, now many have their on the orders, which are numerous already, Salutan confessed.

For the trained women, they also echoed delos Reyes appreciation.

“We are happy that the City Government helped us cruise through the pandemic, and are now gainfully earning more that we can from out home shops,” they claimed.

“We could actually do more, especially when we can have the production line going as with the specialized work set for every production step, we can be efficient, and could even produce more,” they bared.

On this, Salutan, who oversees the development caps, “We have not been fully operational, and we are already giving out city women the extra income they wished they had to help in the family, this early in fact, we have already succeeded. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

HELPING ITSELF. When allowing its women to gain more income while allowing them to gain more skills in dressmaking and tailoring, Tagbilaran City under Mayor Jane Yap is also helping the city in its economic enterprise. Sewing the uniforms of kindergartens kids and elementary pupils in the city public schools has earned women more income than they were earning in their home dress shops. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

FASTER, MORE INCOME. Using electric heavy duty sewing machines, women would complete more dresses and uniforms in a day, which translates to more income, that’s to the support of the City Government and the City Livelihood Office, claims the city women who were trained in dressmaking and tailoring to run the city garments manufacturing production line. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

WHY CANT WE? When the city used to send their free uniform orders to Cebu, we thought, why cant we manufacture them instead? Asked City Livelihood and Community Development Unit head Adelfa Salutan of the Office of City mayor Jane Yap. With this, the city conceptualized and raced for the launching of the City Garments Manufacturing Production Line, another city government enterprise. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

HANDS FULL. Crispina delos Reyes still has her hands full completing the numerous orders the City Garments Manufacturing are getting, but this time, she is sure she is earning a bit more and can be prouder of her role as housewife, mother and an income-earner. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

BSK election reset allows

Ample time for reforms?

CORTES, Bohol Oct 15 (PIA) –The postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) to October of next year could be an opportunity for the country to push for the needed reforms in the law and come out with a better, more practical and more efficient system, agrees Bohol Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Supervisor Atty Eliseo RZB Labaria.

Sharing his personal thoughts during the recent Kapihan sa PIA which tackled the BSKE, a day after Malacanang made public the law which amended Republic Act 9164, Atty Labaria said apart from possibly giving more time for the elections commission to ready the elections especially the voting precincts which are now occupied with the reopening of the face to face classes.

He also the additional precautions that the body has to implement to keep voters from the disease, which was not fully covered in the 2022 elections appropriations.

SK REFORMS

High up in the reforms being proposed for the SK is the age bracket which comprises the SK membership.

The current consideration for SK membership is 15-30, effectively putting in youth that may have problems with their legal personality being below age of maturity.

The contention is, as an SK member, they can be technically elected and would have to handle government funds, opening public accounts, without the legal personality to do so.

Moreover, once an SK member marries, membership do not cease, until past 30. If a member is elected SK Chairman at 18 and marries, the membership continues and that technically puts 12 years of adult married life enjoying funds reserved for the youth who most deserve it.

BARANGAY REFORMS

Foremost among the reform is the proposal to make barangay officials earn fixed salaries, creating equality among the government service frontliners.

“We are basically working the same tasks, and with the honorarium based on the LGU capacity, richer LGUS can afford higher honorarium, while the poorer ones get low honorarium, for the same service,” a barangay official moaned.

ANTI DYNASTY LAW

And while the Sangguniang Kabataan reform bill provides for the ban on electing SK officials who are relatives of local elected and appointed officials up to second level of consanguinity and relatives of national and appointed officials, the absence of an implementing rule and regulation on this provision makes the law deficient.

This should be the perfect time, after all, there is almost a year for legislators to put his measure in place, comments Atty Labaria.

It is a fresh “322 days of more ‘subtle campaign’” for those eyeing for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSK) posts as the government resets the BSK elections until October 23, of 2023.

Originally set for December 5, 2022, the BSK elections had the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) upping their preparations and were about 70% ready as of October 10, or when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., signed Republic Act 11935.

RA 11935 postponed the December 2022 BSK elections and amended Republic Act 9164, as well as appropriated funds therefor and for other purposes.

“With that, it immediately stopped us from the preparations and allowed us to prepare for the reopening of the registration,” said Bohol Comelec Superintendent Atty Eliseo RZB Labaria, during the recent Kapihan sa PIA.

Instead of an BSK election set for December 5, 2022, Section 1 of the new law said there shall be a synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, which shall be held on the last Monday of October, and every three years thereafter.

With the new law, all incumbent Barangay and SK officials remain in office, on a hold-over capacity, until their successors shall have been elected and qualified, according to the law which was a consolidation of House Bill 4673 and Senate Bill 1306 which the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines passed on September 28, 2022.

That holdover capacity however, would be true, unless these incumbent officials shall have been removed from office or suspended for a cause.

With such, all Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan members who are currently serving as ex-officio members of the Sangguniang Bayan, Sangguniang Panlungsod, or Sangguniang Panlalawigan would continue to serve as members of the sanggunian concerned and until the next BSK elections shall have elected new ex-officio representatives. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

MORE PRESSING PRIORITIES. Bohol Comelec said the postponement of the BSKE should allow the government to institute the reforms, as long as its people would really intend to, hints Bohol Comelec Supervisor Atty Eliseo Labaria during the recent Kapihan sa PIA. (rahc/PIA_7/Bohol)

Online pork meat, products

sellers: present NMIS docs

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct 13 (PIA) –By this week, online dealers of pork and pork products who could not show proper documents of where their products were sourced out, would have their products confiscated and still be liable of P1,000 to P5,000 fine as well as imprisonment of not more than six months or at the discretion of the courts.

This also includes transport carriers of these illegally shipped products to Bohol would have the products confiscated and the driver, pilot or captain themselves would be fined P5K, even if it is for allowing the loading of such prohibited products.

This as Bohol Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed Provincial Ordinance No. 2022-011, last September 13, the Ordinance revising Provincial Ordinance No. 2021-015 which prohibits the entry of live pig, pork, pork products, frozen semen coming from African Swine Fever affected areas and providing penalties thereof.

Aptly called the Revised Bohol African Swine Fever Prevention Ordinance of 2022, the revised ordinance now carries penal provisions, administrative proceedings as well as the Implementing Rules and Regulations in the furtherance of the policy.

“This is also to protect the consumers who may not know where the meat they are buying online comes, or did it pass through the proper government regulations in meat safety,” briefs Bohol Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz, in the sidelines during the National African Swine Fever Prevention and Control Program (NASFPCP) ASF Preparedness Private Stakeholders Meeting held at the Panda Tea Garden Suites earlier this week.

Republic Act 9296, or the National Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines declares it as a state policy to prevent the entry of disease-carrying animals into meat establishments and ensure the safety and quality of imported meat and meat products, the multi-awarded provincial veterinarian said.

At least, they have to keep the NMIS documents on the meat they are selling, or we get them for violations of the law and the ordinance.

Since the time of the restrictions during the pandemic, the online market has been alive, several of the products sold include pork trimmings, pork jowls and pork ham, the sellers of which do not engage when asked where their meat supply comes from.

Since May 25, 2021, Bohol has officially imposed the ban on the entry of live pig, pork, pork products and frozen semen from areas affected by the ASF, via Provincial Ordinance 2021-015.

Section 3.1 of the revised ordinance says, transporting, carrying, possessing or importing live pig, pork, pork products, frozen swine semen, swine feeds and processed porcine animal proteins in whatever quantity coming from or passing through ASF affected areas to the territorial jurisdiction of Bohol by any person has been prohibited.

It also bans the entry of livestock and poultry carriers coming from and passing through ASF Affected areas, and they are only allowed until the port premises for the purpose of transferring live animals and other related cargoes not prohibited under section 3.

With this, all inbound shipping, airline, transport companies and courier services shat ensure that live pigs, pork and port products whether processed or cooked, frozen swine semen and swine feeds from affected areas are not loaded in their vessels.

And as for travelers who may have innocently brought these to Bohol, upon disembarkation, receptacles where inbound passengers can voluntarily discard of these prohibited products are placed before reaching the veterinary quarantine stations at the port.

Moreover, any prohibited products which are not voluntarily surrendered or disclosed prior to or upon disembarkation are confiscated on sight, disinfected and burned immediately.

And for the port authorities to work, the revised ordinance also provides that the Provincial Government and the Collecting Municipal Local Government Unit share equally on the share of the proceeds of the administrative charges. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

FAIR WARNING TO COURIERS. With the revised Bohol ASF Prevention Ordinance, couriers, transport vehicles like commercial buses, shipping lines and airplanes, drivers, busboys, captains and pilots can now be fined for allowing the loading of illegally shipped pork and pork products if they can can not present valid shipping documents for their consignments, said Provincial Vet Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

WE CAN GET YOU FOR POSSESSION. Possessing, selling or transporting pork and pork products without NMIC permits and seals can be a ground for confiscation of products and imposition of stiff penalties in violation of the law and the ordinance, said National African Swine Fever Prevention and Control Program (NASFPCP) officials during the ASF Preparedness Private Stakeholders Meeting held recently at the Panda Tea Garden Suites. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

DTI brings YEP in Gentrep Z2

With USAID, GTZ, biz sectors

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct 12 (PIA) –Pushing youth entrepreneurship program (YEP) to the edge, the Department of Trade and Industry in Bohol (DTI Bohol) in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the Department of Education, bring to Boholano youth the Bohol GentrepZ 2, the second batch of its program to give opportunities to out-of-school youth (OSY) here.

Bohol GentrepZ 2 is a pioneering DTI Bohol program in partnership with USAID, GTZ, DepED and the local government units a follow-through care for DepEd’s Alternative Learning System completers and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority graduates (TESDA) from their online courses to give them the opportunity to a better future.

Under the USAID’s Opportunity 2.0, the program offers Boholano OSYs and youth in 14 more cities across the Philippines the second opportunity of education that would lead to their successful employments or livelihood in the future.

A program funded by the USAID, Opportunity 2.0 attempts to improve the education, employment, and livelihood outcomes for the out-of-school youth in the Philippines until 2025.

We have seen an increase in OSYs, and leaving them might create something, so we conceptualized and organized programs for these youth, in Bohol GentrepZ 2, shares DTI Bohol Provincial Director Maria Soledad Balistoy, in her message to the second batch’s 14 OSY participants.

“While graduating from the ALS or TESDA online courses, these kids are given chances to choose on three options: further education, employment and entrepreneurship. The least opted for these options is entrepreneurship,” says Opportunity 2.0 coordinator for Bohol Lucille Alcala Dabhi, during the launch of the second batch of follow on activities held at the Jjs Seafoods Village October 11.

The DTI-led program adopts the Go-Negosyo and Philippine Competitiveness Council’s Kapatid Mentor ME Program aimed at helping Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs to up-scale their business thru coaching and mentoring by business owners and practitioners on different functional areas of entrepreneurship.

Adopted on a local scale, mentoring and coaching program would be done by program partners in the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Junior Chamber International Boholana Kisses, and successful business operators and owners who are willing to hand-hold these young entrepreneurs in their chosen business ventures.

“We wish to thank the DTI in their exemplary leadership in creating this Bohol GentrepZ 2, as an example other provinces could emulate, congratulations for being part of history in creating opportunities for our youth” hailed Alcala-Dabhi.

And while the DTI KMME Program includes 10 modules of the different aspects of business management and ethics, Bohol GentrepZ 2 uses nine modules spread across days of mentoring and coaching and capping with a crafting of a particular business plan, for presentation and critique by the mentors and coaches.

The DTI also gives an initial P8,000 for each participant who can complete the training, as initial starter fund, while BCCI accordingly promised additional assistance to the young entrepreneurs.

In their second day of sessions, Tagbilaran City Administrator John Geesnel Yap II, speaking for City Mayor Jane Yap committed the city’s unwavering support to the business sector in the city.

“We know that, wherever Tagbilaran City goes, Bohol goes to,” highlighting the pivotal role the city plays in the local economy.

As to the GentrepZ 2, he committed Tagbilaran City’s help through financial assistance to jumpstart these start-up businesses which the mentoring course could initiate. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

YEP, IT IS. DTI Bohol Provincial Director Maria Soledad Balistoy exhorts the young OSY entrepreneurs to commit their time and full participation as they are to get free business mentoring from industry leaders in USAID Opportunity 2.0’s Gentrep Z2, now ongoing. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

FREE BUSINESS MENTORING. OSY ALS completers and TESDA Online courses graduates find yet another second chances in a better future outside the educational system with GentrepZ2, getting the free business coaching from the experts themselves. Here, their mentor is Rona Denque, CEO of the GreenThumb Farm and Alfresco Resto, with Lucille Dabhi, City Administrator John Geesenell Yap II, DTI Bohol Maria Soledad Balistoy and Gentreps focal person Balir Panong. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)