Teacher, the Doctor is in

Doctors regularly visit day care centers in Valenzuela City where children enrolled in Kinder 1 and 2 are given medical check ups and receive supplements and medicines as part of the city's aggressive Early Childhood Development Program (ECCD). Here's a sneak peak at Purok 4 Day Care Center in Brgy. Mapulang Lupa.

Video taken by Mark Lester Cayabyab/Valenzuela City PIO

www.valenzuela.gov.ph

Private Facility in Valenzuela Plays Vital Role in PDEA’s Anti-Drug Efforts

A waste conversion and disposal facility in Valenzuela City now plays a pivotal role in the government’s drive against illegal drugs and other substances.

Tucked inside the Pearl Island Industrial Compound located in Brgy. Punturin, the Green Planet Management , Inc. (GPMI) was tapped by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) thru a medium term agreement to convert and destroy illegal drugs and other chemicals used to make dangerous substances.

The Republic Act  9165, otherwise known as “The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 1992, states that confiscated or surrendered dangerous drugs should be burned or destroyed upon the court’s order.

PDEA public information office director Derrick Arnold Carreon said that in this facility “the guidelines on the disposal of seized dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs), and laboratory equipment are complied with to assure the public they will not fall to unscrupulous hands.”

Last Jan. 14, newly-installed PDEA Director General Usec. Jose Gutierrez Jr. led the destruction of some P3 million worth of CPECs and equipment at the Green Planet premises. 

“We want the public to witness the latent gains of illicit drug trade be reduced to ashes, thus cutting off the cycle before it reaches its destructive market,” PDEA Chief and member of the PMA Class of 1973 said as he vows to continue strengthening the government’s “concerted and decisive efforts.”

The former District Director of Southern Police District (SPD) also claimed that “this is one tool of transparency that dismisses any communal inkling that illegal drugs seized by authorities are being recycled or peddled back in the streets.”

Witnessing the ceremony were Lt. Col. Angelito Santiago, group commander for administration of Bureau of Customs, representatives from Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Valenzuela City police chief P/SSupt Eric Serafin Reyes, Valenzuela Anti-Drug Abuse Council (VADAC) action officer Coun. Tony Espiritu, non-government organizations and the press.

PDEA laboratory services head Cesar Jose said a total of 799.3500 liters of various chemicals consisting of Toluene, Methanol, Hydrochloric Acid, Nitric Acid, Chloroform and Ethyl Acetate; 64.3175 kilograms of solid chemicals composed of Sodium Chloride, Red Phosphorus, Sodium Acetate, Iodine and Sodium Chloride, Potassium Hydroxide and Carbon; expired CPECs and a multitude of laboratory equipment were incinerated.

GPMI general manager Edgardo Aglipay disclosed that liquid chemicals are mixed with oil sludge and can be used to fire up industrial requirements as fuel.

The stash of evidence was seized from operations conducted by PDEA, the police, National Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Customs and private companies.      

Undersecretary Gutierrez lauded the efforts of different Regional Trial Court branches in Metro Manila and in the provinces for the speedy prosecution and disposition of drug cases that led to prompt destruction of these chemicals and equipment.

-Mark Lester Cayabyab / Valenzuela City Public Information Office

Valenzuela City BPO Job Fair Draws “Promising Talent Pool”

TO THE NEXT LEVEL. Shortlisted candidates receive a heads up from Billy James Cruz, talent acquisition officer from TeleDevelopment.

 

The city government, in coordination with the Rotary Club of Valenzuela, recently held a job fair in VCCPA Theater that accommodated applicants interested in pursuing a career in business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

Ms. Luningning Martin, head of the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) said, this joint undertaking between the city and the civic group is able to bring TeleDevelopment Services, a company that provide clients with global outsourcing and back-office solutions, for a one-day recruitment campaign in the city.

“That’s good news to our graduating students as well as to our constituents who wants to step up with their career,” Ms. Martin declared. She said City Mayor Win Gatchalian wants his constituents to play active roles in the $7.3 billion dollar BPO industry.

 

JOBSEEKERS. The city facilitated the one-day job fair to assist constituents in finding better career options offered by the burgeoning BPO industry.

 

Mr. Ricardo Yu of the Rotary Club said the BPO industry is already a major driving force in the economy that substantially employs a significant segment of the country’s workforce.

Of late, the Philippines has been named as the “Best BPO Destination in the World” twice by the London-based National Outsourcing Association (NOA) and is attributed mainly to its career-driven people. “I see no reason why Valenzuelanos should be left behind,” he said.

This statement was later supported by Mr. Billy James Cruz, talent acquisition officer who headed the six-person recruitment team from TeleDevelopment. Of the almost 230 applicants, he revealed at least 10 percent of them got shortlisted. “It’s a lot better compared to other places where our hit rate usually pegs at five percent,” he said.

 

HOT SEATS. The one-day job fair drew over 200 applicants, mostly graduating students from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela.

Mr. Cruz further said, applicants were idealist, optimistic but street smart. “They know what they want,” he said, “that’s why Valenzuela should nurture and support its promising talent pool.”

 

Text and Images by Mark Lester S. Cayabyab

Valenzuela City Public Information Office

http://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/press.php?id=200900629&tbl=press

 

Valenzuela City Grade 2 mentors grasp teaching methods beyond chalk and blackboard

After the City of Valenzuela notched a banner year in 2009 with the most number of classrooms built, students and teachers stand to gain from yet another shot in the arm in uplifting the quality of basic education in the city.

The "WIN ang Edukasyon Program" recently completed a three-day seminar-workshop for grade two public school teachers in partnership with NGO partner Synergeia Foundation, a consortium of individuals and institutions committed to work together in improving the quality of basic education in the country.

TEACHER FOR TEACHERS. Valenzuela City public school teachers grasp new ways of teching from a facilitator at the recent Win ang Edukasyon Program's seminar workshop. Photo by Valenzuela City YSL Office.

The program gathered some 250 English and Mathematics teachers for a three-Saturday course held in Parada National High School.

Fifteen lecturers and resource persons invited by Synergeia from the Ateneo de Manila University and the DepEd Division of Bulacan facilitated the training that promotes information and communications technology as an essential component in today's classroom teaching methods.

Workshop facilitators used the English and Mathematics workbooks provided for free by the city government for the students as basis for their training modules.

"We must better prepare our elementary school teachers, not only with their mastery of the subject, but also in the ways they can motivate their students to begin appreciating the lessons and its applications, Valenzuela City Local School Board Chairman Mayor Win Gatchalian said.

WINNING FORMULA. City Mayor Win Gatchalian stresses the importance of a multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts in uplifting the quality of education in the country.

 

"Times have become more technology driven and students have gotten more attuned with modern conveniences, our teachers should likewise learn to update and adopt by integrating multi-media approach with their traditional ways," he added.

The teachers however drew mix reactions citing the multi-media approach was particularly new to them and access to technology was limited.

In light of this development, Valenzuela DepEd Division Superintendent Dr. Flordeliza Mayari, however said, the Local School Board is strongly committed to capacity building measures for the teachers with their transition phase.

She said the city government has already bankrolled the development of computer laboratories in Valenzuela's public schools and would provide all the necessary help that would improve the performance of teachers through systematic reforms and other processes.

PGMA Groundreaks Valenzuela City Housing Project for Ondoy Victims

After Tropical Storm Ondoy left their families in Tullahan River homeless last year, these children will soon find a better and safer place to live in once the Valenzuela's Disiplina Village is put up for around 900 families.

Amidst swirling cloud of dust and late morning sun, Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came over Valenzuela City on February 12 to groundbreak Disiplina Village in Bgy. Ugong, a housing project for 900 families whose homes were swept by the raging waters of Tullahan River at the height of last year's Tropical Storm Ondoy.

An initial 100 families are temporarily sheltered there on makeshift houses to participate in the construction phase that exemplifies the spirit of 'bayanihan."

Being in the profession, it's my third instance to cover an event where the Chief Executive is the leading figure of interest. The first two assignments were held in a rather confined environments (a BPO facility in Alabang and in Malacañang) but this is the first time to document her engagement outdoors.

With my white polo being embraced by the dusty wind, an old-timer who lives near the area told me the vicinity used to be a quarry site for adobe during the Marcos administration. Even though the landscape is barren (which reminds me of Barrio Cupang straight from Ishamael Bernal's "Himala"), if seen with eyes wide open, the promise of a better life for the recipients is hard to miss.

For full report: http://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/press.php?id=200900615&tbl=press

Valenzuela school children nix drug abuse thru art

Elementary pupils raise a fistful in support of anti-drug abuse initiatives of the local government.


An interesting play of colors and words jazzed up by Valenzuela City elementary and high school students conveyed powerful messages against drug abuse at the recent jingle, slogan and poster making contest organized by the DepEd Division of City Schools of Valenzuela.

The contest was done in collaboration with the Valenzuela City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (VADAC) chaired by City Mayor WIN Gatchalian to drum up public support for the anti-drug abuse initiatives of the city.

VADAC Action Officer Antonio Espiritu said having anti-drug abuse advocacies the youth can actively participate in will help empower them with the right set of information and attitude. Authorities have claimed awareness and firm acceptance to these set of principles will deliberately keep people off the risk, thus effectively curbing the prevalence of drug dependency.

This cycle reflects on the recommendations made by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) to emphasize campaigns aimed at values formation among the youth.

Presidential Proclamation No. 124 of 2001 declares the second or third week of November of every year as Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week to promote public awareness against the evil effects of illegal drug use, as well as encourage public cooperation in the government’s anti-drug campaign.

With this development, participating students from public and private schools were able to produce effective materials that will be officially incorporated in VADAC creative communication campaigns.

For the high school category, Sitero Francisco National High School was handed first place and a P10,000 prize money for its jingle penned by Virgilio Santos. The composition that carries the lines “gobyerno man eskwelahan at ating pamilya, tayo’y magtulong-tulong puksain natin ang droga” also bagged additional P3,000 for originality.

Parada National High School meanwhile claimed first place and P3,000 cash prize for its slogan “Walang lugar ang droga sa pamayanang may disiplina at nagkakaisa.” An interpretation of war on drug abuse as a community effort from the Canumay East High School capped the top prize for the poster making contest with P3,000 prize money.

Top prizes for the elementary category on the other hand went to Bignay Elementary School for the jingle making contest with an original composition titled “Kilos Mamamayan, Droga ay Labanan” by Rodel Azana. The entry won a total of P10,000 plus P3,000 for originality.

A slogan from Gen. T. de Leon National High School made the cut with a P3,000 prize for the line “Ipinagbabawal na droga ay hindi papasa sa mamamayang nagkakaisa.” An illustration from the Lingunan Elementary School made it to the list with a P3,000 prize.

Dr. Bryan Ilan, Program Supervisor-in-Charge, described the initiative against drug dependency as “herculean” but called on all sectors to remain vigilant and undaunted by “institutionalizing collaborative efforts.”

Speaking before a young audience at the SM Valenzuela Supercenter, DepEd-Valenzuela City Division Superintendent Dr. Flordeliza Mayari called on everyone to stand against drug abuse and adopt it as their own personal battle.

Text and Photos by Mark Lester S. Cayabyab for the Valenzuela City Public Information Office

http://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/press.php?id=200900588&tbl=press

10-month feeding program to instill child care awareness

As the City of Valenzuela embarks on a 10-month long supplementary feeding program for undernourished children, health officials are bent on instilling positive attitude change in terms of child care among parents.

The Valenzuela City Health Council led by Mayor WIN Gatchalian and the City Health Office headed by Dr. Jaime M. Exconde Jr., launched the program Nov. 10 that will address malnutrition affecting some 1,121 children aged three to five chosen from 32 barangays.

Winona Villarueza, City Nutrition Program Coordinator, said the beneficiaries were selected thru health check ups by city health workers, in close coordination with the Center for Social Development and Welfare.

Each child will be allotted roughly P15 worth of milk, fortified biscuits and vitamins per weekday for 10 months to augment their nutrition needs. A monitoring routine will be implemented to track individual progress.

Villarueza noted that the program, nutritionists will also be working closely with the parents citing their role as essentially relevant to the success of the project. The program coordinator explained “parents should also be committed to providing their child proper nutrition and adequate care at home.”

In a report published recently by the World Bank, experts rooted “malnourished children perform poorly in school and are more likely to drop out” and thus have “lower life-time earning potential.” Reversing this trend will benefit not only the individual but also the community.

The City Health Office is placed at the center of development by the city government thru active capacity building strategies with different stakeholders.

The program formally commenced with 52 children joining the ceremonial feeding in First District’s Lawang Bato covered court while another 114 children took part in Second District’s kick off in Mapulang Lupa Day Care Center. Special Projects Office led by Dorothy Evangelista, together with barangay officials, spearheaded the campaign.

Members of the Valenzuela City Health Education and Promotion Office also gave the children lectures on sanitation and performed drills on proper toothbrushing and handwashing.

Mark Lester S. Cayabyab

http://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/press.php?id=200900585&tbl=press

Valenzuela confers SoKor mayor honorary Valenzuelano

BROTHERS. Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian confers on Bucheon City Mayor Hong Gun Pyo the Distinction of Honorary Valenzuelano.

In a gesture of admiration and gratitude, Valenzuela City, led by its chief executive, Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian, conferred the Distinction of Honorary Valenzuelano to compatriot in diplomacy, Hon. Hong Gun Pyo, Mayor of Bucheon City, South Korea in a rites studded by cultural presentations on Nov. 12.

Mayor Gun Pyo earned his Distinction for his “invaluable contributions to the development and welfare of the people of Valenzuela City.” The occasion fittingly fetes the four-day economic and diplomatic missions of the Bucheon city officials and its business leaders in the country.

Mayor Gatchalian said Valenzuela City is “very fortunate to have a sister city that is “caring and responsive.” He cited the humanitarian action taken in by the people of Bucheon in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ondoy late September. “Bucheon was among the first to help out the victims,” he said.

The Honorary Valenzuelano laureate was visibly pleased and humbled onstage at the Valenzuela City Center for the Performing Arts as he accepted his plaque of merit from Mayor Gatchalian. In true East Asian tradition, he bowed in appreciation of the honor bequeathed to him.

Mayor Gatchalian also presented to Mayor Gun Pyo a Symbolic Key to The City as a token of sincere welcome to its brothers and sisters from South Korea. They were joined by council members from both cities.

Mayor Gatchalian on the other hand vowed that his city shall be of help to Bucheon City should they need any assistance, thus upholding the treaty of mutually advantageous and practical exchanges in the field of the economy, trade, science, technology, culture, art, sports, youth and education development since 2006.

The ceremony was made more festive with youth presentations of folk and modern dances and theater performances from the Valenzuela City Center for the Performing Arts and the 30-member Bucheon City Performance Troupe.

Bucheon is a progressive but environmentally-conscious city of 850,000 people in Gyeonggi Province, the western central region of the country. It is located between Incheon City and the South Korean capital city of Seoul.


Text and Photos by Mark Lester Cayabyab
Valenzuela City Public Information Office
http://www.valenzuela.gov.ph

Festivities, blessed pandesal mark Pistang Polo 2009 in Valenzuela City

Valenzuela City is once again celebrating the feast of San Diego de Alcala from November 3 to 12. 

San Diego de Alcala was a Spanish lay brother in 

1500s who would stash loaves of bread under his cloak he meant to share with the poor. The bread miraculously turned into stalks of roses after he was summoned on grounds of suspicion.

This year, the tradition, which is rooted to the more than 300 years of history of Valenzuela, continues with City Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian as Hermano Mayor.  One of the highlights this year is the blessing and distribution of thousands of pandesal, which are believed to bring miracles in the lives of those who join the celebration. 

Pistang Polo is the oldest and the grandest celebration of its kind in the city.  The Parish of San Diego de Alcala of the old town of Polo marks the feast day with a tradition of festivities and reverence to its patron saint that made pandesal as an instrument of sharing God’s blessings and of man’s compassion to others. 

This slice of life in Polo is even remarkably epitomized by National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal in his celebrated classic novel Noli Me Tangere in his fictitious town of San Diego. The chapter was aptly called “The Eve of the Fiesta,” that tells of “space is filled with noise and music, and the air is saturated with rejoicings.”

The City of Valenzuela invites the public to join the festivities.

 

Nov. 3, 2009

Start of Novena         

4:00 P.M.    Paseo (City Band)                        Polo Area

5:00 P.M.    Novena/Mass                               Church

8:00 P.M.    Acoustic Band Competition         Polo Plaza

 

Nov. 4, 2009  

5:00 P.M.    Novena/Mass                              Church

8:00 P.M.    Dance Contest                            Polo Plaza

 

Nov. 5, 2009  

5:00 P.M.    Novena/Mass                              Church

8:00 P.M.    Accoustic Band Competition       Polo Plaza

                                   

Nov. 6, 2009  

5:00 P.M.   Novena/Mass                               Church

8:00 P.M.   Dance Contest                             Polo Plaza

                                   

Nov. 7, 2009  

8:00 A.M.   Jobs Fair                                     Covered Court

                   Medical Mission                           Polo Plaza

5:00 P.M.   Novena/Mass                               Polo Church

7:00 P.M.   Pasayaw sa Taga-Polo                Pio Valenzuela Elem

8:00 P.M.   Mutya ng Kasaysayan                 Polo Plaza

 

Nov. 8, 2009  

5:00 P.M.    Novena/Mass                              Polo Church

7:00 P.M.    Alumni Homecoming                  San Diego Parochial

                                   

Nov. 9, 2009                          

5:00 P.M.    Novena/Mass                              Polo Church

8:00 P.M.    Finals - Dance Contest               Polo Plaza

                                   

Nov. 10, 2009                        

5:00 P.M.    Novena/Mass                              Polo Church

8:00 P.M.    Finals - Acoustic Band                Polo Plaza

                                   

Nov. 11, 2009                        

5:00 P.M.    Novena/Mass                              Polo Church

7:00 P.M.    Sagalahan                                   Polo Area

9:00 P.M.    Variety Show                               Polo Plaza

                                   

Nov. 12, 2009                        

Mass Schedules        

9:00 A.M.    Misa Cantada     

10:00 A.M.  Blessing and distribution of pandesal     

 

7:00 P.M.    Procession         

8:00 P.M.    Fireworks Display          

9:00 P.M.    Mini-Concert      

Mark Lester S. Cayabyab

http://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/press.php?id=200900581&tbl=press 

Valenzuela set to expand city hall

A P90million structure is set to rise on the new government center of the City of Valenzuela as Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Vice Mayor Eric Martinez together with City Councilors, key city officials and construction partners groundbreak the People’s Center and Legislative Building, Oct. 14.

Construction will start next month and is expected to be finished within a 180-day timeframe.

The three-storey building boasts of 4,200 square meters of footprint space and will be integrated with the existing Executive Building adjacent to the proposed site. Once fully operational, several key offices of frontline services will be conveniently housed under one modern and more convenient home.

Expected to relocate are the offices of the Vice Mayor, City Councilors of First and Second Districts, Sangguniang Panlunsod Secretariat, Liga ng mga Barangay, Sangguniang Kabataan, City Health, City Social Welfare and Development, Public Employment Service, Department of Local and Interior, Bureau of Internal Revenue, City Accounting, City Finance, City Internal Audit and City Legal Office.

“We are building this center so that people will have greater and better access to city government services,” Mayor WIN said.

“This is for them and that is why we will call it the People’s Center.”

The city chief executive also bared plans of acquiring adjacent properties to further expand the city government center now conveniently located along McArthur Highway in Bgy. Karuhatan, the main thoroughfare cutting across Valenzuela. Mayor WIN proposes a park for the people once implemented.

Architect Glen Encarnacion, Head of Planning and Projects Evaluation of the City Engineering Office, said part of the Mediterranean-inspired structure also is a museum dedicated to the city’s heritage at the ground floor level.

The old City Hall, now under major renovation, will house the Hall of Justice and the Regional Trial Court. This will be connected to the new City Hall by an overpass bridge.


Mark Lester S. Cayabyab
Valenzuela City Public Information Office
http://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/

Winning the fight vs child mortality

Amidst relief operations to the victims of tropical storm “Ondoy,” the City Government of Valenzuela under the leadership of Mayor WIN Gatchalian, has intensified its health drive with the launching of “Garantisadong Pambata,” Oct. 5, 2009.

Some 200 parents and their children aged five years and below from Karuhatan and San Jeremias daycare centers attended the kick-off. They received a package of services such as free vaccinations, booster shots, deworming tablets and Vitamin A supplements. They were also given a guidebook that underscores proper healthcare.

Punong Barangay Nicomedes Caco of Karuhatan, together with other city health officials, also provided treats at the simple ceremony in SM Valenzuela Supercenter activity area.

City Health officer-in-charge Dr. Jaime M. Exconde Jr., said the Valenzuela public could avail the services until Oct. 17 from 47 government health centers around the city.

Now on its ninth year, the bi- annual Garantisadong Pambata was institutionalized throughout the country as part of the Philippines’ commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals to reduce child mortality by two-thirds in 2015.

Records of Dr. Manny Mapue II, Chief City Epidemiologist, showed the city has successfully sustained this thrust. Statistics revealed significant decrease in mortality rate in 2008 among children one year to five years of age placing at 17.1 per 1,000 live births compared to 19.15 of the previous year. Furthermore, mortality rate among infants dipped to 13.82 as to 13.93 per 1,000 live births for the same period.

Dr. Exconde encouraged everyone to make Garantisadong Pambata work everyday for our children.

-Mark Lester Cayabyab/Valenzuela City PIO
http://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/

Double-double

Start:	Oct 1, '09
Location:	Valenzuela City Hall

As Redmark ushers in his 27th year, he will be writing for the Valenzuela city government thru its Public Information Office.

The former newsboy of Lores, student scribe of The Leader and The CoC Forum, newsmagazine contributor, and copywriter of M2.0 will be writing articles again that begin with its slug and end with a 30-mark.

The mighty pen is back bleeding inkblots for bread while photography will still be unspooled on weekends for wanton play.

Double the work, double the play.