Following the passage of an ordinance imposing fees on booth operators in food bazaars at Plaza Rizal in Virac, the Christmas Cheers Organizing Committee has decided to keep its hands off the management of the Cheers booths at the plaza.
The Committee will focus on running the program part of the Cheers in coordination with the concerned LGU department heads.
For the 2019 Christmas Cheers this Dec. 14-30, those applying for booths should submit their applications with the Office of the Mayor or the municipal treasurer’s office, or whoever the chief executive designates.
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For lack of space this issue, the following news item is being accommodated in this column:
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) launched the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) last Oct. 28, promising thousands of open jobs during the census.
Around 86,000 numerators, 17,000 team supervisors, 17,000 field editors, 3,000 assistant census area supervisors, and 3,000 census area supervisors will be involved during the census, according to officer-in-charge Anavi F. Camacho.
The 2020 census will be held from May 4, to June 1 of next year, with May 1 as the reference point for the entire census.
The PSA also announced the upcoming launch of the new Philippine Identification System ID (PhilSys) which would roll out nationwide sometime in July 2020.
According to the PSA website, PhilSys will be completely free upon launch and with lifetime validity.
Camacho also clarified that while it is expected to launch in July, PhilSys may be delayed by a few months.
She added that the PSA will roll-out PhilSys registration in Catanduanes through scheduling barangays by batch.
The PSA also released the 2019 edition of its “Countryside in Figures,” featuring data gathered from various local government agencies over the past five years
The Data Users Forum was held at the Queen Maricel Inn as part of the 30th National Statistics Month celebration.
Meanwhile, a student from Magnesia National High School (MNHS) triumphed in the first-ever Data Cartooning contest last Oct. 29, as part of the 30th National Statistics Month.
Edison Isidoro of MNHS blew away the competition with an average of 83.67 points, taking home a championship trophy and a gift certificate worth Php 3,000.
Mary Franz Bien of Catanduanes National High School grabbed 2nd place with an average of 79.00 points, winning a trophy and Php 2,000 gift certificate.
Diana Elizabeth Sebastian of Catanduanes Colleges took third place with an average of 78.67 points, winning Php 1,000 gift certificate.
The competition was judged by architect Alexander Gianan, Tribune writer Cris Eugene Gianan, and provincial election officer Atty. Neil Canicula.
The event was held at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Session Hall with the theme, “Data Innovation: Key to a Better Nation.”
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A source close to the shabu lab investigation recently disclosed to this writer that the shabu lab case now being heard at RTC Branch 63 in Makati is almost finished with the prosecution’s star witness, Ernesto Tabor Jr.
It is claimed that the witness impressed the judge with his detailed testimony, particularly with regards to the Camiling, Tarlac shabu lab raid in 2014 by the NBI anti-illegal drugs unit led by Eric Isidoro.
Intoy reportedly narrated how Isidoro spirited out some of the Chinese found at the lab and brought them to Catanduanes to work on the Palta Small shabu lab where some of the Camiling equipment were later found.
Tabor’s turn at the witness stand was prioritized by the prosecutors due to death threats against him.
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WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN? Three men are arguing about when exactly does life begin.
The first one says, “At the time of conception.”
“At the time of birth,” argues the next.
“Oh, no,” says the third. “Life begins when the wife takes the children and they all live for vacation.”