City Mayor joins Brigada Eskwela

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (27 May 2015) – While participating in the Brigada Eskwela program at Saludin Anas Elementary School in Barangay Labangal Monday, May 25, City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said he will be donating armchairs to the school through his Armchair Donation Program with RD Foundation Inc. (RDFI). Known as Edukasyon Mo, Kabuhayan Ko, the program was launched by Mayor Rivera and RDFI in 2013 to aid the Department of Education provide armchairs in public schools. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

GTC helps Brigada Eskwela

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (27 May 2015) - The Gensan Tourism Council (GTC) led by Gensan first lady Jane Gollon Rivera (right) delivers paint and other materials to Saludin Anas Elementary School in Barangay Labangal as part of their participation in the Department of Education's Brigada Eskwela. GTC personnel also helped in painting the classrooms of the school and repaired some of its broken fences. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Mayor Rivera launches Likay Droga

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (27 May 2015) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera launches the Likay Droga Program -- a city government initiative to educate the youth with the dangers of drug abuse and addiction -- during the closing of the 2nd Gensan Summer Youth Festival on May 23. Likay Droga is also backed by the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Education, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and various private schools in the city. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Mayor Rivera backs Region 12 delegation to Palarong Pambansa

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (5 May 2015) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said Region 12 was prepared to vie at the Palarong Pambansa, the annual multi-sports competition for Filipino athlete-students.

It is primarily organized by the Department of Education.

In its 58th year, the Palarong Pambansa is being held in Tagum City from May 3 to May 9.

The city government has already extended its support to the SOCCSKSARGEN Region delegates—including financial, trainings, and security.

“We here in Gensan have been actively supporting sports activities here in the city. Perhaps this is the reason why Gensan is the champion for the SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Athletic Association (SRAA) meet for three-consecutive years already,” Mayor Rivera said.

“And I hope that the support we extended to them will also yield the same output,” the mayor said.

He elaborated the programs and initiatives the local government was doing to encourage the youth and children to be active in sports and other civic activities.

One of these is the coming Gensan Summer Youth Fest on May 11-30 which will include various events such as athletics, literary, musical, and civic seminars.

“Since I assumed office, I always give my support to these kind of activities. We innovate whatever interventions the LGU (local government unit) can come up so that we can develop our youth, and divert them away from drugs and vices,” Mayor Rivera explained.

He said those who will excel in the Palarong Pambansa will receive incentives from the city government.

“I want them to do their best. There is no pressure. We wanted them to enjoy and appreciate the Palarong Pambansa since they are still kids. Bagging the prizes is just the secondary goal,” Mayor Rivera said. (Gensan CPIO/ Ian John Lagare)

PNPA valedictorian from Gensan gets LGU recognition

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (14 April 2015) - The local government unit of General Santos City led by City Mayor Ronnel Rivera gave a warm recognition on Saturday (April 11) to Police Inspector Dennis Yuson Jr., valedictorian of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Lakandula Class of 2015.

Inspector Yuson was welcomed by city officials headed by Mayor Rivera with a motorcade from the airport going to the Sangguniang Panlungsod building for a short program.

During the ceremony, Yuson expressed his gratitude to the local officials and generals (Gensan residents) who welcomed him at the Gensan airport.

Yuson also graced the City Hall flag raising ceremony Monday (April 13) at the Oval Covered Court.

"Today, there is another reason to be thankful because of the recognition given to me by the Gensan community," said Yuson.

"This is the first time that I will be sharing my thoughts as a police officer to the people of my hometown, and eventually leave a trail of inspiration to our beloved city of General Santos," he added.

He also talked about his awareness on the challenges he is going to face now that he is already out of the academy.

"Sa pagbukas ng pinto ng realidad at pagsasabuhay ng aking serbisyo ay sisilawin ako ng tukso," he said.

"Gayunpaman, naniniwala po ako na kung gaano kami sinanay ng buong husay ay siya ring tatag ng aking paninindigan na itakwil ang kamalian at pumanig sa katwiran," Yuson elaborated.

Mayor Rivera, for his part, said he is proud of Yuson’s achievement and lauded the Gensan native for being a great example of what the city’s youth can achieve with the proper guidance and training.

“Let us thank Inspector Yuson for proving once again that General Santos is really the home of the champions hindi lang sa sports pati na din sa ibang bagay,” according to the mayor.

Aside from being the PNPA valedictorian this year, Yuson also graduated magna cum laude from Notre Dame of Dadiangas University with the course of BSEd-Mathematics last March 2011.

The PNPA valedictorian is also a licensed math teacher before he entered the academy in May 2011. (Gensan CPIO/ Sharmagne Villacastin).

BSP council installed

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (28 March 2015) – City Councilor Dominador Lagare (left), in behalf of City Mayor Ronnel Rivera, inducts the new set of officers of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines - Gensan Chapter Thursday, March 26, at the City Mayor's Office. DepEd Gensan Superintendent Gildo Mosqueda (2nd from left) is among the BSP officers inducted. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

BSP council takes oath of office

GENERAL SANTOS CITY  (March 28, 2015) - The scout council of General Santos City held recently its annual installation and oath taking ceremony for officers and members of the local executive board.

The 15-member executive board was led by Wilfredo Grandeza. The members of the board are Proforio Tripoli; Joel Sentillanosa, deputy council commissioner; Juan Abraham Abando, council auditor; Danilo Degracia, council treasurer; and Mario Lino Ferrer, assistant treasurer.

Mario Mariano and Rooseque Zapanta were installed as the first and second vice chairman, respectively.

Other members of the board will be coming from the private sector, officials from Department of Education (DepEd), president of the Girl Scout of the Philippines General Santos City Chapter and non-government organizations.

DepEd Supt. Gildo Mosqueda was confirmed as the council scout commissioner for 2015 and will act as counselor and adviser to the officer-in-charge/council scout executive.

Councilor Dominador Lagare III, the installing officer, and officials from the DepEd  pledged their support to the council and the “Kapatirang Iskawt ng Pilipinas.”

Lagare also encouraged members of the council to dedicate their time, mind and effort towards the goals of the scouting year 2015.

“Take to your work an attitude of open mindedness, to give your full interest and attention to what you are expected to do,” Lagare added.

Grandeza, for his part, enjoined everyone to espouse the positive values of the boy scouts like going beyond and above the call of duty for the sake of service to the community, passion and the spirit of volunteerism. (Gensan CPIO/Gilli Himbing)

Chambers of Commerce, LGU-GSC donate 6 classrooms

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (9 March 2015) – Three secondary schools in the city have each became the recipients of two-classroom buildings.

Thanks to the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Inc. (FFCCCII), South Cotabato Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SCFCCCII) and the local government unit of General Santos City (LGU-GSC).

The fully furnished classrooms were successively turned over to General Santos City National High School (GSCNHS), North High School, and General Santos National School of Arts and Trades (GSNSAT) on February 28.

Each classroom also came with 50 plastic mono-block chairs.

Alfonso Sy, president of the FFCCCII, who was present in all turnover ceremonies, said that they are glad to help the local government, especially in its advocacy to provide quality education.

It was City Mayor Ronnel Rivera’s initiative to ask FFCCCII and SCFCCCII if they can donate classrooms in the city.

Last July 2014, the mayor’s request was granted by these Filipino-Chinese businessmen through a signing of Memorandum of Agreement that took place at Greenleaf Hotel.

Each of the classroom buildings cost around P800,000. The LGU-GSC gave a counterpart of P400,000.

When Mayor Rivera assumed office in 2013, he acknowledged the insufficiency of classrooms, chairs, and other facilities in the city’s public schools.

“I know that our public schools are really needy despite the effort of the Department of Education (DepEd) to sustain the inadequacies,” Mayor Rivera said.

“That is why I made sure that the local government of Gensan will be the prime partner of DepEd so that we can give quality education to our children,” the mayor added.

Data from DepEd Gensan shows that the city’s public schools have 340 classrooms and 14,000 armchairs shortages.

Mayor Rivera, in his personal initiative, has donated 7,000 armchairs and targets to increase the number to 12,000 with the help of some private companies.

DepEd Gensan Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Gildo Mosqueda expressed his gratitude to Mayor Rivera for prioritizing the needs of the educational system of the city.

“We are always thankful to the support Mayor Rivera and the local government of Gensan gave to DepEd. I personally admit that we cannot do it alone. That is the reason we need these kinds of partnership to strengthen the academic standards of Gensan,” Mosqueda said.

Mosqueda promised to do DepEd’s part in implementing quality education in the schools of Gensan. (Gensan CPIO/ Ian John Lagare)

Gensan is SRAA Meet overall champion

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (22 February 2015) - City Mayor Ronnel Rivera congratulates Gensan's athletes after bagging the first place overall in the recently concluded SOCCSKSARGEN Region Athletic Association (SRAA) Meet in closing ceremonies on February 20. With this, Gensan achieved a grand slam in the competition hosted by the Department of Education. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Gensan is SRAA 2015 overall champ

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (23 February 2015) – Gensan went on a winning spree at the SOCCSKSARGEN Region Athletic Association (SRAA) Meet last week, sweeping out other competing regions for the grand prize.

Delegates from Gensan - the host city - reigned supreme in the SRAA Meet by taking the overall champion spot in a grand slam fashion. The athletic meet was hosted by the Department of Education.

SRAA 2015 was participated in by primary and secondary student athletes from Cotabato City, Cotabato Province, Kidapawan City, Koronadal City, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Tacurong, and General Santos City.

Out of the four categories (Elementary Boys, Elementary Girls, Secondary Boys, and Secondary Girls), General Santos secured three overall first places.

Gensan got third place in the Elementary Boys category which was dominated by Cotabato Province (2nd) and South Cotabato (1st).

Events like sprint, boxing, basketball and volleyball were ruled by Gensan.

In the overall ranking, South Cotabato came next to Gensan, followed by Cotabato Province, and Koronadal Province, respectively.

City Mayor Ronnel Rivera has never been so happy for the success that Gensan has seized this SRAA Meet.

“I received a call telling me that Gensan grand slammed the SRAA 2015. I was very happy that moment for the success we just earned,” the mayor said.

Under the administration of Mayor Rivera, various efforts were rendered to support Gensan athletes—professional or non-professional.

New breed of champions like Marvin Sonsona (boxing) and Jean Pierre Sabido (taekwondo) gained their momentum through the support from the city government.

In addition, young athletes like Reynaldo Templado (table tennis) has been given the opportunity to vie in competitions as prestigious as the South East Asian Games.

As for the victors of SRAA 2015, Mayor Rivera, together with DepEd Gensan, has already expressed continuous support especially in their upcoming participation in the Palarong Pambansa 2015.

Palarong Pambansa 2015 will be taking place in Tagum, Davao Del Norte this coming May.

The city government has financially supported the athletes with P3.4 million allotted by Mayor Rivera for the hosting of SRAA that benefited not only players of the city, but from other participating municipalities and regions as well.

For SRAA participants, an additional P300,000 was given for their training.

“It is money well-spent. Supporting the people who give Gensan pride is something money can’t compensate,” Mayor Rivera said. (Gensan CPIO/Ian John M. Lagare)

Gensan hosts regional sports meet

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (19 February 2015) - The “Tuna Capital of the Philippines” is hosting the Department of Education’s annual sports competition called the SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Athletic Association (SRAA) Meet for five days (February 16 to 20). 

Around 3,800 student-players from South Cotabato, Cotabato Province, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato City, Kidapawan City, Koronadal City, Tacurong City, and General Santos City are competing in various athletic events of the meet.

The SRAA Meet—formerly known as the Cotabato Region Athletic Association Meet—is the gateway for athletes towards the coveted “Palarong Pambansa” if ever they win their respective disciplines in the regional competition. 

Acknowledging the importance of SRAA, City Mayor Ronnel Rivera has allotted P3.4 million to support adequately the simultaneous sports events taking place in various areas here in the city.

The amount would also cover the needs and amenities of the athletes while they are here in Gensan. 

In his speech during the opening of SRAA at Lagao Gymnasium on February 16, the mayor said that SRAA is a way to develop an individual’s character and strong camaraderie among players.

“This meet is not to develop animosity between and among competing teams and contingents. It is rather fostering unity through sports,” Mayor Rivera said. 

Mayor Rivera even joked that if he is just young right now, he would have joined SRAA.

“In my prime years, I was very eager to join these competitions. Now, I may prefer doing speeches because of my old age,” Mayor Rivera kidded.

Department of Education Region 12 Director Allan Farnazo expressed his gratitude for the big support the local government of General Santos City has rendered for their SRAA Meet. 

“Gensan has allotted P3.4 million for this year’s SRAA; I think the next host city (for SRAA) should get nervous right now,” Farnazo said. 

The same gratitude for the local government of Gensan was also expressed by DepEd Gensan’s Schools Division Superintendent Gildo Mosqueda and Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Mario Bermudez. 

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police and the Task Force Gensan have ensured the security of the schools where the contingents are billeted. 

These schools are J.P. Laurel Elementary School, Dadiangas North Elementary School, Dadiangas North High School (Sarangani); Pedro Acharon Central Elementary School (Koronadal); Dadiangas West Central Elementary School (Sultan Kudarat); Cahilsot Elementary School (Cotabato Province); Calumpang Elementary School (Cotabato City); Romana Acharon Central Elementary School (South Cotabato); Dadiangas South Elementary School (Tacurong City); and Dadiangas East Elementary School (Kidapawan City). 

The police and military also guaranteed the safety of SRAA throughout its duration. (Gensan CPIO/Ian John M. Lagare) 

Mayor Rivera delivers 100 armchairs to Tinagacan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (7 February 2015) - The Tinagacan Elementary School receives 100 armchairs from City Mayor Ronnel Rivera and RD Foundation Inc. Thursday, February 5, through the "Edukasyon Mo, Kabuhayan Ko" Program. This initiative was started by Mayor Rivera himself to fill in the 14,000  inadequacy of armchairs in the public schools of the city. (Gensan CPIO/Russel Delvo)

Mayor Rivera, RDFI pledge 7,000 additional armchairs

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (7 February 2015) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera, along with the RD Foundation Inc. (RDFI), committed to give 7,000 armchairs to further lower the armchair deficiency in public schools within the city.

As many as 3,720 school armchairs are expected to be donated by Mayor Rivera and RDFI after the end of March 2015.

It was revealed during the Education Summit last year that the scarcity of armchairs here in Gensan has reached up to 14,000.

Under the program of “Edukasyon Mo, Kabuhayan Ko”, Mayor Rivera is pursuing to end the inadequacy of armchairs in city schools.

This means that 14,000 out of the 139,000 public school students in Gensan have no armchair to sit on, decreasing their viability to learn and study.

Through the “Edukasyon Mo, Kabuhayan Ko”, the mayor will close the gap into half, making it easier for the DepEd Gensan to provide the rest of the supply.

The ones who are constructing these armchairs are selected persons-with-disabilities (PWDs) here in the city. They were hired by the RDFI to do this project to give them profitable livelihood.

Each of these chairs cost around P700.

By the end of March, the total expense for the 3,720 armchairs is around P2.6 million.

The funding for this program does not come from RDFI or Mayor Rivera alone; several businesses and institutions were also tapped to take part in this initiative.

The far-flung Upper Labay Elementary School is the first recipient of the “Edukasyon Mo, Kabuhayan Ko” this year. They received 128 armchairs Wednesday (February 4).  (Gensan CPIO/ Ian John M. Lagare)

City Mayor donates salary to scholars

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (5 February 2015) - The PTA Donation of City Mayor Ronnel Rivera and RCR Foundation resumes again Wednesday, February 4, and this time, the far flung Upper Labay High School becomes its new beneficiary. This PTA Donation is a personal advocacy of Mayor Rivera and carried out by the RCR Foundation to produce deserving scholars through his salary as the local chief executive. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Far-flung public school receives armchairs

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (5 February 2015) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera provides 128 additional armchairs to Upper Labay Elementary School on Wednesday, February 4, through his Armchair Donation project in partnership with RD Foundation Inc. This donation aims to fill the inadequacy of armchairs in the public schools here in the city. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Gensan school receives translated Rizal book

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (8 December 2014) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera (left) witnesses the Memorandum of Agreement-signing between Regina Millare, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Office, RCBC Bankcard (center), and Efren Lemana (right), principal, Lagao National High School Friday, December 5, at Greenleaf Hotel for the donation of newly-translated Noli Me Tangere books to the said academe. National Artist for Literature Dr. Vergilio Almario was the one who translated the Noli Me Tangere books. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

20 new classrooms to open in GSCNHS

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (26 November 2014) - In behalf of City Mayor Ronnel Rivera, Councilor Rosalita Nunez  partners with PAGCOR in donating a four-story building with 20 classrooms to General Santos City National High School (GSCNHS) in Barangay Calumpang on November 20. Targeted to be finished in July 2015, this donation is one of fulfillment of the promise of Mayor Rivera in his State of the City Address last August to address the inadequacy of classrooms in the city. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Calumpang High School gets donation from Mayor Rivera

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (20 November 2014) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera lets his junior counterpart, Abigail L. Huang, to join him in the donation of P20,000 to support the needy but deserving students in  Calumpang High School, Opringville Subdivision, Barangay Calumpang Tuesday, November 18. One of the thrusts of the mayor is to equip the youth in public service and enable them to become participative in various civic activities. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Calumpang High School receives armchairs

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (20 November 2014) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera signs the Deed of Donation for the 100 armchairs that he gave to Calumpang High School, Opringville Subdivision in Barangay Calumpang Tuesday, November 18. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Mayor Rivera delivers 100 armchairs to Calumpang High School

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (20 November 2014) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera  donates 100 armchairs to Calumpang High School, Opringville Subdivision in Barangay Calumpang Tuesday, November 18. Mayor Rivera also gave P20,000 to support the needy but deserving students in the school. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)