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Livelihood mulled for illegal fishpen operators |
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Livelihood mulled for illegal fishpen operators
THE Iloilo City government here is planning to provide a livelihood program for residents who own illegal fish pens along the Iloilo River.
City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has ordered that all illegal structures, especially fish pens in the middle of the Iloilo River and along Carpenters Bridge going upstream be removed.
Mabilog said these structures are illegal and must all be uprooted within the month. He instructed the city agriculture office and the city legal office to coordinate in strictly imposing these orders.
He said he will look for an alternative livelihood for those who will be affected.
Mabilog said he has ordered the City Public Employment and Services Office (PESO) to look for a sustainable livelihood alternative to the owners of the illegal fish structures.
They can also be given a seed capital to formally start a fishing business in the Iloilo City Fish Port and sell it to public markets. They can also start a cooperative, he said. (PNA)
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DSWD warns pharmacies not giving correct discounts |
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DSWD warns pharmacies
not giving correct discounts
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) here urged senior citizens to report pharmacies or drugstores that are not extending correct discounts.
DSWD regional director Minda Brigoli said senior citizens should report erring pharmacies to the authorities and the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA). She said OSCA will take tabs of these pharmacies and report it to the local government and the DSWD.
Brigoli said senior citizens must receive 20 percent discount when they buy medicines and health needs. The discount is also on top of the 12 percent VAT exemption. This is mandated by the Expanded Senior Citizen’s Act of 2010, she said.
Brigoli said some pharmacies are taking advantage of the senior citizens by not asking them if they have discount cards. Some pharmacies are also not posting the correct prices of generic drugs on their wall which the senior citizens can use in checking their bills.
The regional director said they will request the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to monitor these drugstores for possible sanctions.
There are about 340,000 senior citizens in Western Visayas. Most of them are indigents and rely much on the Expanded Senior Citizen’s Act to avail of discounts in buying medicines and other basic services. (PNA)
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