TANDAG, Surigao del Sur, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) on Monday started to accept applicants for registered nurses (RN) who will be deployed in various areas in Surigao del Sur.

The hiring for the Registered Nurse Health Enhancement and Local Service (RN-Heals) is part of the national government’s employment program. It was learned that the program allotted 157 positions for this province alone.

At least six to 11 registered nurses will be employed in each municipality and city under the RNHeals program, said DoLE provincial director Hermie Daytoc. (Mike Crismundo)

DAVAO SUR EYEING MEGADIKE PROJECT

STA. CRUZ, Davao del Sur, Philippines (PIA) – After being deluged by floods recently, the municipal government here and the provincial government of Davao del Sur are eyeing for the construction a megadike within an identified flood-prone area.

Mayor Joel Ray Lopez said the megadike will be built in the area of Darong and is aimed at protecting residents and industrial companies located in the area.

“Darong is where the water flows out.” Lopez said. The area of the flooding was found out to be a dried-up riverbed and the floodwater could have retraced the old route of the river, he added.

RAIN GAUGES URGED FOR REMOTE AREAS

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (PIA) – Local government units (LGUs) must have the necessary rainfall measurement capability to forecast impending calamities and make the immediate and appropriate response.

Gerry Pedrico, Region 11 office of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration PAGASA 11 director, said that LGUs can acquire rain gauges which can be used by their villages in measuring rainfall within their locality. Having a community-based flood warning system is better than having to depend always on the PAGASA on forecasting floods in their areas.

EMPLOYMENT RATE CLIMBS IN A.R.M.M.

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (PNA) – The Department of Labor and Employment in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DoLE-ARMM) disclosed a one percent increase in the region’s employment rate.

DoLE-ARMM Secretary Myrah Alih said the number of employed persons in the region rose to 97 percent as of December 2010, a notch higher than that of the previous year.

She said ARMM also posted the highest employment rate among the different regions in the country. “The one percent might seem insignificant at first but this translates to thousands of jobs,” she added.

LEGARDA SEEKS I.P. CODE REFORM

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Senator Loren Legarda is pushing for the passage of a measure that seeks to widen the scope of Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code (IPC) to include the protection of copyrighted materials over the Internet.

“In this modern age when the Internet has become a necessity to access, send, spread, download, and upload almost all kinds of information, the protection from piracy of copyrighted data and other literary and artistic works has become more challenging,” Legarda said. (Nonoy Lacson)