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 TreeVolutionists plant 35,000 seedlings

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (29 September 2014) - Gensan participates in the greening Mindanao advocacy TreeVolution where 35,000 seedlings are planted by more than 4,000 participants in the mountain ranges of Purok Daan Banwang and Purok Abtu-is in Barangay Upper Labay Friday, September 26. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

Gensan plants 35,000 seedlings on TreeVolution day

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (29 September 2014) – The “TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW” sprouted hope in the mountains of Upper Labay where thousands of seedlings were planted in an hour on September 26.

From 8:30am to 9:30am, 35,000 seedlings of Mahogany and Nabol trees were propagated in the mountains of Purok Daan Banwang and Purok Abtu-is in Barangay Upper Labay by more than 4,000 volunteers.

The seedlings were provided by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of the local government unit of General Santos City (LGU-GSC).

CENRO did not expect the TreeVolution to exceed the number of volunteers needed. CENRO had to reduce the number of seedlings per person so that everyone will have a chance to plant.

One of the eager planters was City Mayor Ronnel Rivera who arrived early in the site at Daan Banwang.

The mayor said the TreeVolution is an opportunity to restore the damaged forests here in Mindanao.

“Even our mountains and forests here are not really deforested compared to the other regions in Mindanao, it is still our duty to protect, preserve and make them flourish. We want the succeeding generations to still see what we are seeing today,” Mayor Rivera said.

The TreeVolution is a national greening program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA) which aims to plant 4.6 million trees in 9,272 hectares of land in the six regions of Mindanao, namely region 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and ARMM for an hour.

The massive tree planting activity is also an attempt of the Philippines to break the Guinness Book of World Records’ “Most Trees Simultaneously Planted in Multiple Locations” set by India.

India’s current record stands at 1,945,535 trees planted by 340,200 participants in one hour.  

According to DENR Region 12 director Datu Tungko Saikol, they wanted to cover 1,000 hectares of land in the 20 planting sites within SOCSKSARGEN’s four provinces and five cities for the TreeVolution.

The director also conveyed that they distributed 504,500 seedlings to the participating LGU’s in Region 12 for the TreeVolution.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje was also present in Davao City to observe the tree planting there, along with the representatives from Guinness World Records.

Undersecretaries of DENR were delegated by Secretary Paje in selected planting sites such as in General Santos, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga to also observe the activities. (Gensan CPIO/ Ian John M. Lagare)

Thousands get PhilHealth membership

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (07 May 2014) - City Mayor Ronnel Rivera, CSWDO head Rebecca Magante and PHILHEALTH representative Emily Facelo distribute PHILHEATH Member Data Record (MDR) to thousands of residents Tuesday, May 6, at Lagao Gymnasium. At least 2,876 MDRs were released to four barangays in the city namely Batomelong (706), Upper Labay (723), Katangawan (777), and Tinagacan (664). The MDR is a proof that the bearer is a bonafide member of PHILHEALTH with access to the institution's services. (GENSAN CPIO/Russell Delvo)

Mayor Rivera visits schools in city outskirts

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (10 March 2014) - City Mayor Ronnel Rivera traveled through rough terrain and crossed rivers Friday, March 07, in his endeavor to help the Blaan students of Daan Banwang and Almatak elementary schools in the mountains of Barangay Upper Labay. Together with the Ronnel C. Rivera (RCR) Foundation, Mayor Rivera donated P20,000 to the 132 students of the schools to cover their whole year academic expenses. (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/Russell Delvo)

Blaan children receive presents from Mayor Rivera

By Ian John M. Lagare

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (10 March 2014)  - City Mayor Ronnel Rivera led a team to the far-flung purok Daan Banwang in Barangay Upper Labay Friday (March 07) to visit pupils composed mostly of children from the Blaan tribe.

The mayor accompanied by the Ronnel C. Rivera (RCR) Foundation members crossed four rivers and traveled along cliff roads about 40 to 60 meters high to fulfill his monthly Parent Teachers Association donation advocacy.

Mayor Rivera’s team was warmly welcomed by the students of Daan Banwang Elementary School and Almatak Elementary School— the beneficiary of the project.

Daan Banwang principal Joel Penagunda said that the mayor and the RCR Foundation already shouldered the expenses of the 74 students from Daan Banwang and 57 from Almatak for the whole year.

The payment came from the mayor’s salary as chief executive of the city. Ever since he was elected as city councilor and even now as the city mayor, Rivera has been donating his salary to PTAs or schools in the city.

Aside from the PTA donation, the children also received small presents from Mayor Rivera in the form of candies, biscuits and packed juices.

In his speech, Rivera said that he makes it a point to set aside time from his busy schedule to personally see the situation of school children in the city.

In turn, the whole community of Daan Banwang simultaneously shouted "Bong Salamat" (Thank you very much) to Mayor Rivera for his heartfelt support to their school. (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/Ian John M. Lagare)

Blaan kids meet Mayor Rivera in mountain village

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (10 March 2014) - Aside from his donation to the elementary schools of Daan Banwang and Almatac in Barangay Upper Labay Friday, March 07, City Mayor Ronnel Rivera also met the Blaan children and gave them candies, biscuits and packed juices—commodities that are rarely available in the mountain villages. (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/Russell Delvo)