GSIS expands partnership with LBP to cover active members

AUGUST 11, 2011 – The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) announced that beginning August this year, its more than 1.4 million members may already choose to have their loan proceeds and other benefits credited to a UMID (Unified Multi-Purpose Identification) eCard issued by the Land Bank of the Philippines.

 

By choosing LANDBANK as servicing bank, GSIS members would be able to benefit from LANDBANK’S wide network covering 327 branches and more than 900 ATMs nationwide.

 

With a LANDBANK-issued UMID eCard, members can withdraw their loan proceeds and other benefits in any Expressnet, Bancnet or Megalink ATM nationwide.

 

LANDBANK-issued UMID eCards also serve as a debit card in more than 20,000 accredited merchants nationwide and as a discount card for GSIS corporate partners such as Pfizer and STI.

 

The card is free with no maintaining balance required for members transferring to LANDBANK.

 

To recall, the GSIS renewed its partnership with LANDBANK in December last year, to give its more than 300,000 pensioners the choice to receive their monthly pension and other benefits through a LANDBANK ATM or thru their eCard.

 

“This renewed partnership with LANDBANK makes it easier for our members and pensioners, especially in the provinces to access their benefits and other loans,” said Robert Vergara, GSIS President and General Manager.

 

For her part, LANDBANK President and CEO Gilda Pico said, “As a partner of the GSIS in delivering improved service to its members especially in the rural areas, we share the commitment of the new GSIS leadership to provide excellent service for its stakeholders.”

 

To transfer to LANDBANK, members can visit the GSIS website www.gsis.gov.ph, log on to the eCard member transaction page and click the CHOOSE LANDBANK AS YOUR SERVICING BANK icon.

 

They can also email their name, date of birth, and UMID Common Reference Number (CRN) to eservices@gsis.gov.ph, or visit the nearest GSIS Field Office.

 

 

Ana Marie O. Macuja

Staff Officer III

Public Relations and Communications Office, GSIS

0917-5382884

479-3691

fax: 891-6297

BIR nagpaalala sa publiko ukol sa iba’t-ibang mga modus operandi

Ni: Bennie A. Recebido

Sorsogon City, August 12 (PIA) – Muling nagpaalala ang Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Sorsogon sa publiko na mag-ingat sa iba’t-ibang mga modus operandi na ginagawa ngayon ng mga manloloko.

Ang paalala ay inihayag matapos lumabas sa ilang mga ulat na ginagamit ng ilang mga masasamang elemento ang tanggapan ng BIR upang makapanloko sa kapwa.

Ayon kay BIR Sorsogon Asst. District Revenue Officer Eutiquio Grajo, sakaling may makita o maenkwentro silang indibidwal na pumunta sa kanilang bahay  o mga establisimyento at magpanggap na empleyado ng BIR ay mangyaring hingan ito ng ID o pagkakakilanlan at authority to surveillance at agad na makipag-ugnayan sa kanilang tanggapan o sa sinumang awtoridad.

Samantala, upang matiyak ding mula talaga sa BIR ang mga ibinibigay na resibo sa binabayaran serbisyo at binibiling mga bagay ng mga mamimili, dapat diumanong nakalagay sa resibo ang pangalan ng tax payer, tax ID at tax identification number ng mga establisimyento.

Maging value-added tax (VAT) registered o non-VAT registered ang establisimyento, dapat na nakalagay din ang pangalan ng publisher ng resibong ibibigay sa mga mamimili.

Sa pamamagitan diumano ng pagkakaroon ng wastong kamalayan ng publiko ay maiiwasang lumaki pa ang bilang ng mga manloloko at naloloko saan mang lugar. (PIA Sorsogon)

Material Recovery Facility ng Sorsogon City maitatayo na sa tulong ng DENR

Ni: Bennie A. Recebido

Sorsogon City, August 12 (PIA) – Magkakaroon ng pirmahan ng Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) bukas sa pagitan ng pamahalaang lungsod ng Sorsogon sa pangunguna ni City Mayor Leovic Dioneda at ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) sa pangunguna naman ni DENR Secretary Ramon Paje.

Ang pirmahan ng MOA ay may kaugnayan sa pagtutulungan ng mga ahensya ng pamahalaan at ng pamahalaang lungsod ng Sorsogon upang tuluyan nang makapagpatayo ng Material Recovery Facility (MRF) sa lungsod kung saan ilalagay ito sa brgy. Buhatan.

Dadaluhan ang gagawing programa ni Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, ng dalawang kongresista ng Sorsogon na sina Cong. Salvador Escudero III at 2^nd District Congressman Deogracias Ramos, Jr., Sorsogon Gov. Raul Lee, Environmental Management Bureau Bicol Regional Director Ronando Quelilay at Sorsogon City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ronando Gerona.

Inimbitahan din ang mga opisyal ng barangay sa lungsod upang makita at higit nilang maintindihan ang kahalagahan ng pagkakaroon ng MRF. Ang pagkakataong ito ang nakikita ng lokal na pamahalaan na mabisang paraan upang matupad ang matagal na nilang pangarap na makapagtayo ng Material Recovery facility at ma-upgrade ang solid waste management program ng lungsod.

Magbibigay mensahe naman si DENR Regional Director Joselin Marcus Fragada habang ibibigay naman ni France Logena, EMS I ng CENRO ang overview ng solid waste management project ng Sorsogon City.

Samantala, sa naging pahayag ng isang environment specialist ng lungsod sinabi nitong maliban sa tulong na ibibigay ng DENR upang maitayo ang istruktura ng MRF, magbibigay din ito ng shredder at iba pang mga makina at kagamitang makakatulong ng malaki sa solid waste management program ng lungsod.

Sa ngayon ay may segregation building ang lungsod subalit kailangan pa ring magkaroon ng MRF o second level waste segregation management system upang maproseso ng maayos ang mga basura.

Mayroon ding dalawang dumpsite na ginagamit ang lungsod sa kasalukuyan subalit tuluyan na itong maisasara sakaling maging operational na ang MRF ng Sorsogon City. (JTumalad,PIA Sorsogon)

iSchools SAPOT develops IP sensitive Content for Students; IPO status Scored

by: Kairos Dela Cruz

AUGUST 11, 2011 – “Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being”

We all know our rights, sometimes we even overshoot on assuming them. The latter even makes some of us neglect the existence of others and the rights that are intrinsic to them. In cases of violence, people know about their human rights. In cases of trials, even the accused parties have the guts to assume their rights to remain silent. In the cases wherein students duplicate or photocopy resource materials, Philippines appear to be blatant in transgressing intellectual property issues.

Should this be the case and future of Philippine education? Students stealing to become educated?

iSchools Project says NO.  

 iSchools Project, a government funded ICT-education integration program, seeks to educate students not just by giving them free computer  laboratories and training workshops; but also by providing them with intellectual property- sensitive educational materials.

The project seeks to provide high quality educational content to the project’s high school recipients through its Content Mapping Initiative (CMI), more popularly coined as Supplementary Academic Philippine Online Treasury (SAPOT). The initiative is part of the project’s thrust in empowering the major stakeholders (teachers, students and community members) of its recipient schools.

As Toni Torres, iSchools Project Manager, puts it “iSchools Project believes that ICT can propel the Philippine education system but the project will not compromise any values in doing so. Content especially in education comes at a price that not everyone can afford. To help in solving the problem, iSchools would provide free content materials in different subjects, materials that will undergo rigorous academic scrutinizing. Permissions from the “whose” end of these content materials will be coordinated and negotiated by the project”.

In the recent outlining and primary mapping workshop for CMI, iSchools Project joined hands with major academic, cultural and legal institutions at Angels’ Hills, Tagaytay City last June 20-22, 2011. Among the many subject matter experts, Atty. Mark Dy of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO-Phils.) was given the chance to explain the need and implications of insuring that CMI would not transgress any level of the intellectual property rights of the proponents of the content materials that the initiative wishes to include in the final content map.  

According to Atty. Dy, “Respect for intellectual property is a strong indicator of quality creative & educational content. Designing world-class educational material always includes proper referencing, attribution and copyright clearance for all the components used in the project. This way, credit is given to those who deserve it and the entire project is kept fresh and original”.

iSchools SAPOT will distribute the content materials to project recipient high schools tentatively through three major media- an online portal, portable external hard disk and a magazine-type catalog. All of these materials will be distributed free of any charges.   

During Atty. Dy’s lecture he came across with why initiatives such as SAPOT are pushing a holistic change for intellectual property in the Philippines. iSchools SAPOT is one of the first of its kind but it would not be the last of iSchools’ attempts in bridging the digital divide.

“The creative, scientific and academic communities must demand greater institutional support for copyright in the Philippines if we want our creative content to flourish. Senate Bill 2487, once passed into law, will create the Bureau of Copyright under the Intellectual Property Office, dedicated to copyright policies and programs. Presently, our Intellectual Property Office only has an ad hoc team composed of two lawyers and about 10 support personnel manning the entire copyright system of the country. In contrast, South Korea has about 800. We urge everyone to support the passing of Senate Bill 2487 and lift Filipino creativity to the very top”, Dy added.

Attributing the author with due recognition is a basic in respecting intellectual property; here is an example.

Khalil Gibran, an internationally acclaimed philosopher and author may sound too noble and too ideal when he published the opening line. In all honesty, maybe the world can use a little of this nobility and idealism.

Mga batang hikahos makakatuntong na rin sa paaralan

Ni: Bennie A. Recebido

Sorsogon City, August 11 (PIA) – Nakikiisa ang Couples for Christ – Tekton Foundation Inc. (CFC-Tekton) sa hangarin ng pamahalaan sa ilalim ng administrasyong Aquino na matulungan ang mga batang hikahos na mabigyan ng maayos na edukasyon upang mahango sila sa kahirapang kinasasadlakan.

Ayon kay Dr. Edgar Garcia, Answering the Cry of the Poor (ANCOP) Global Marketing Committee Head ng CFC-Tekton, naniniwala silang kailangang mapaghandaan ang kinabukasan ng mga kabataan kung kaya’t dapat nang kumilos ang karamihan upang magkaroon ng positibong pagtugon sa pangangailangan sa edukasyon ng mga kabataang mahihirap subalit may mga natatagong kapasidad.

Kaugnay nito, ilulunsad sa Agosto 21, 2011 ng CFC-Tekton ang ANCOP Global Walk kung saan makikilahok dito ang mga kasapi nito at iba pang mga interesadong Sorsoganon na nais makatulong sa adhikaing ito. Alas-sais ng umaga magsisimula sa Provincial Capitol Grounds, Sorsogon City ang limang kilometrong paglalakad na ito.

Positibo si Garcia na sa pamamagitan nito ay mababawasan ang mga drop-out sa mga paaralan kung saan itinuturong dahilan ang kahirapan.

Nagsagawa na rin sila diumano ng kakulang koordinasyon mula sa mga Local Government Units, mga paaralan at sa Department of Social Welfare and Development upang magabayan ang CFC-Tekton sa pagpili ng mga magiging benepisyaryo ng ANCOP Child Sponsorship Program.

Hinikayat naman ni Herson Binaya ng Singles for Christ ang mga kabataan at iba pang mga Sorsoganon na makilahok at suportahan ang kanilang adhikain at ang mga darating pa nilang aktibidad upang matulungan ang mga Out-of-School Youth ng Sorsogon na makapasok sa mga paaralan at makatapos ng kanilang pag-aaral.

Ang ANCOP ay isa sa mga institusyon ng CFC sa buong mundo na may layuning makatulong sa pagsugpo sa kahirapan sa pamamagitan ng pagsusulong ng mga programang may kaugnayan sa edukasyon, kalusugan, pangkabuhayan, pabahay at pag-uugali. (PIA Sorsogon)