Local Information and Communications and Technology education stakeholders will hold a province-wide conference and preparatory workshop on October 29 and 30 in Bacolod City to develop a provincial ICT roadmap.

Councilor Batapa-Sigue, chairperson of Bacolod IT Focus Team and conference convenor, said the conference seeks to make Bacolod City and Negros Occidental viable IT locations by pursuing ICT readiness and competitiveness.

Other convenors aside from Batapa-Sigue are Lea Gonzales, director of Department of Trade and Industry-Negros Occidental; Yolanda Porschwitz, director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority; Sheila Oberio, director of Department Science and Technology-Negros Occidental; Mary Tolentino, chairperson of the IT Schools Network-Negros Occidental; and Bonifacio Belen, executive director of the Cebu Educational Development for IT.

Fisherfolk group hit
DOE, JAPEX visits

Fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA-Negros called a sham the consultations conducted by the Department of Energy on the scheduled gas drilling operation of Japan Petroleum Exploration Inc. at the Tañon Strait in November.

The group said in a press statement that DOE 7 Director Antonio Labios and Shigehiro Moriya of JAPEX are visiting mayors in northern Negros explaining the oil exploration drilling, but presenting only the benefits of the projects.

PAMALAKAYA-Negros said the DOE and JAPEX excluded "the real stakeholders, the marginal municipal fisherfolks" in the consultations.

ADB team conducts
pre-appraisal mission

A team from the Asian Development recently conducted a pre-appraisal mission in two agrarian reform communities in Negros Occidental as a requirement for the implementation ADB-funded projects in ARCs, the Department of Agrarian Reform-Negros Occidental said in a press release.

The ADB representatives included Manoshi Mitra from India, Mohammed Nasilum Islam from Sri Lanka and Augustina Musa of Indonesia.

They visited ARCs in Brgys. Maaslob and Dolis in Calatrava and Brgy. Camang-camang, Isabela, which are under municipal agrarian reform officers Isaias Solido and Jose Renato Defiño, respectively. In Calatrava, the ADB team conducted an orientation among local government officials and ARC residents, with Arnulfo Figueroa, in-charge of DAR Support Services Office Infrastructure Project, the press release said.

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