ZAMBALES GARNERS HONORS IN SERVICE
IBA, Zambales: Zambales Public Employment Service Office (PESO) won the National Best PESO 2012 in the Second Class Province Category held in Baguio City. More than a year into its institutionalization, PESO Zambales has already been a regional champion in the same category and bested the provinces of Benguet, Sorsogon, Northern Samar and Surigao del Norte to bring home the national title. “Being nominated in the national search is already an honor for Zambales since we were just institutionalized more than a year ago. This is our first time to be nominated and now being adjudged as a National Best PESO gives us more relentless passion to implement more programs and projects,” Vice Governor and Zambales PESO Manager Ramon Lacbain 2nd said in his acceptance speech. Lacbain thanked the provincial government, the Department of Labor and Employment and the municipal and school-based PESO managers in the province for shaping the provincial PESO into what it is today. He said that with their help, the organization has pushed for the creation of jobs, livelihood and business opportunities as a way to alleviate poverty. CHRIS SANSANO

BONDOC FARMERS PRESS FOR LAND REFORM
LUCENA CITY: Farmer-tenants in five agrarian ‘hot spot’ areas in Quezon province’ Bondoc Peninsula area are still pressing for the implementation of the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) despite continued resistance and reported harassment by big landowners. Melchor Rosco, federation president of Samahang Magsasaka sa Brgy. Bigo at Brgy. Villa Reyes in San Narciso told The Manila Times that they are still being harassed and intimidated by farm personnel of Hacienda Reyes just to stop them from pursuing their dream to own land under the government’s CARP. “Almost a hundred of us were sued with qualified theft, with one farmer sometimes charged with six, nine or even 11 counts of theft and many have a standing warrant of arrests and are in hiding” said Rosco on Thursday during the multi-stakeholders dialogue on peace and agrarian reform sponsored by the Phil. Coalition for the International Criminal Court—Building Bridges for Peace Project held at Queen Margarette Hotel. Rosco said that if the Hacienda Reyes, with an estimated 6,000-8,000 hectares of lands in San Andres and San Narciso towns, knows a farmer-tenant to be a CARP or leasehold petitioner, he is immediately warned or prevented to harvest coconuts by the landowner’s steward. BELLY M. OTORDOZ

TESDA MOBILE CLASSROOM STOPS IN CAINTA
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (Tesda) Mobile Training Bus Plus on Tuesday visited the province of Rizal to provide skills trainings to residents.

“This is Tesda’s innovative approach to bring the training services to the grassroots level,” Tesda dir. gen. Joel Villanueva said during the arrival of the training bus in Brgy. San Juan in Cainta, Rizal province.

Tesda also distributed 133 scholarship vouchers under the Training for Work Scholarship Program of the agency.

According to Villanueva, the move is part of the agency’s effort to bring Tesda’s expertise and knowledge to where it is needed the most and help local government units addressed job mismatch and unemployment in their respective communities.

“We want to spread our programs to as many Filipinos as possible and open up opportunities to our youth to gain and hone their skills, which they can use for employment or to start their own business later,” the Tesda chief said. NEIL A. ALCOBER

DRAGON FRUIT EYED AS NEXT SUNSHINE INDUSTRY
ILOILO CITY: A profitable fruit industry will soon emerge in the province of Iloilo that will utilize the various marginal lands for the propagation of dragon fruit, the newest profitable and healthful fruit good for health.

Farmers and fruit enthusiasts in the municipalities of San Miguel and Badiangan are now propagating dragon fruit belonging to the cactus family, and earn additional income starting the first year of planting.

Called the cleansing fruit for the whole body system, dragon fruit is rich and vitamins and minerals and the fruit including its flowers and peelings are edible.

A Lakbay Aral visit by members of the DA Press Corps in Region 6 to a successful dragon fruit plantation in Paayas, Burgos, Ilocos Norte recently, showed that the profitability of the dragon fruit and the best practice of Ilocano farmers in shifting to dragon fruit planting in its marginal farms and vacated tobacco areas. LYDIA C. PENDON