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Lauru Provincial Game 2018 coming up

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

LAURU Provincial Game 2018 is set for the 3rd to 7th September at Taro Station, Choiseul Province.

A statement from the organizing committee for the 2018 Choiseul provincial games are urging all sportsmen and sportswomen of Choiseul Province to prepare for the upcoming games.

“The Lauru Provincial Game is the biggest sporting event in the province of Choiseul and it will be held again after four years since 2014 in which they are looking forward to having this event hosted for their province again.

“The main purpose for the event is to create an avenue to bring Lauru’s sports men and women together to be part of the provincial competitions as well as selecting teams to participate in the upcoming Solomon Games to be hosted at Renbel Province coming November.

“All Choiseul Wards are challenged to take pride and be involved as much as possible in getting all their elite athletes and technical Officials to participate,” the statement said.

It is understood that all teams are to arrive on Sunday the 2nd of September at Taro.

Confirmed games to be played for the Lauru Provincial Game are Football, Netball, Boxing and Athletics.

“For each game from all of Lauru’s Wards, there will be 18 football players plus two Officials, 10 netball players plus two Officials, Boxing (Six Clubs affiliated in 11 categories) and eight athletics players (four male and four females).

“Football is Open Category 11 aside, netball is also Open Category but encourages under 20 girls to play too as the Solomon Games will be for Under 20’s, for athletics, there will be short distance of 100m and 200m plus long distance will be 800m, 3000m and 5000m.

“By the second week of August, all Wards are to confirm games to be played and also the number of players and Officials for each game to the local organizing committee.

“Though the committee will meet food throughout the week, they kindly ask too for each Ward to bring starch of potatoes and cassavas to support their teams.

“The local organizing committee will meet food, accommodation, technical assistance for each games, prizes and the Opening and Closing ceremony.

“Each Ward will be responsible for their own transport and fuel (petrol), however, return fuel (one way) will be met by the organizing committee. Each Ward is estimated for three boats for the committee to meet.

“Each player are to bring their own mats, blankets, pillows, mosquito nets, spoons, cups, plates, cooking pots and containers for water,” detailed report to SunSports.

It is also pointed for reminder that there will be an Official parade therefore all participating teams are advised to have sport uniforms during the Official opening.

The Lauru Provincial Game 2018 Organizing Committee are Mrs Mary Kereseka (Chairlady), Mr Job Qalo (Vice Chairman), Mrs Nellie Siope (Secretary) and Mrs Hellen Jane Zazu Nowak (Youth and Sports Coordinator and Treasurer).

Members are Gibson Vilaka, Tony Kodovaru, Lawrence Isa, Christopher Makoni, John Wesley Zinga, Maclean Biliki, Robert Haukare, Claudence Pade, Vaolyn Vora and Joshua Kisini.

The Theme for this year’s Lauru Provincial Game 2018 is ‘Sport is unity in Development’ (live it up to the game).

Town ground staduim upgraded set

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
Town ground rugby pitch

By Taromane Martin

PREPARATION to host the 2018 Oceania Football Federation (OFC) Under-16 football championship in Honiara will start next weekend.

Solomon Islands will play host for the 18th edition of the OFC U-16 competition between September 9-22 at the Lawson Tama stadium and the Town Ground rugby stadium.

Solomon Islands Rugby Union Federation (SIRUF) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Gerald Oiaka told SunSPORTS that work on upgrading the pitch is set to start on August 27.

“Work to upgrade the Town Ground stadium will start on August 27. SIFF is yet to confirm whether we will host some of the matches or will host only their trainings.

“The upgrading of the Town Ground rugby Stadium will see matches for the Honiara Rugby Union Association (HRUA) league affected with matches to be played at the SPO Field at Ranadi”, the CEO said.

Speaking to the media last month at a press conference Mr Oiaka said the partnership between SIFF and SIRUF is positive and encourages every federation to work together in hosting such events in the country.

“SIRUF really appreciate this partnership. This is a good partnership not only for the two federations but for sports in general.

“It is very important that all federations work together in such circumstances to help move sports in our country forward,” he said.

The 2018 OFC U-16 Championship will take place will see Vanuatu, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, Tahiti and Samoa gracing our shores.

Solomon Islands is grouped in Pool A alongside Vanuatu, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

People of Ndai island receive relief supply

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
People of Ndai island unloading the food supply

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

NDAI Island in Ward 12 of the Lau/Mbaelela constituency in Malaita province have received relief supplies ending months of food scarcity.

People of Ndai in North East Malaita have experienced this hazard due to bad weather affecting the island since early this year.

On Saturday, August 11, 2018, their provincial ward member Fred Wai Diau and his delegation stepped in and delivered food supplies to the disadvantaged people of the island.

Chief Otoi Dadalo of Ndai Island commends the supply as a big relief to his people.

“These supplies will relieve us for the next few months but if this bad weather situation continues we will still experience the same situation.

“But we thank our ward member for this assistance for seeing our need where we are in the time of disaster.

“The arrival of the food supplies is very timely and it is really a blessing from God for my people and my community.”

Chief Otoi Dadalo receives the food supply from Hon. Fred Wai

Dadalo added, this is the first ever form of assistance to reach Ndai Island in the past four months.

“Our call on more of this kind of assistance to come to our shores as this problem has been part of life on this island but now is has taken a new height of intensity.”

Dadalo also calls on the national disaster office to organise an assessment team to assess their communities especially their gardens.

According to the villagers of Ndai Island, the problem started to become an issue in May this year and continued to exceed community tolerance at an alarming rate up to the present time.

Food crops on the island have stopped yielding and started dying.

People of Ndai island unloading the food supply

A brief report of findings will be submitted to the NDMO Malaita Office by the MPA Diau and his team in anticipation of any worthwhile intervention.

He calls on other agencies to assist the people of the island especially during this time of hardship.

“Assistance that would raise the level of resilience of the community, strengthen food crop diversity, help assess and revive the fertility of the island’s small gardening area and revitalize food security will be welcomed by the people of Ndai Island.”

Diau and the people of Ndai Island would like to heartedly thank the Office of the Premier of Malaita Province for sourcing the much needed food supplies.

Gardens at Ndai not in good form of producing quality crops.
Some of the gardens have died due to bad weather and poor soil fertility.

Healthy water a concern

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
Mataniko River

By Ezekiel Talatau

Mataniko River

MANY people take for granted clean water from their taps and borehole, without realising if the water is treated well and good for human consumption.

People working in the ministry of health lab will know that.

Reports show that accessing clean water in Solomon Islands is significantly increasing in some parts of the region.

The likely increase of water quality are through the WASH projects, monitoring water treatments by Solomon Island Water Authority (SIWA) , World Bank Fund (accessed clean water) and HCC health division testing water quality.

Despite the increase demand of population in the capital, Solomon Islands Water Authority (SIWA) continues to maintain the water quality supply throughout the capital.

Settlements within Honiara have access to other water supply such as borehole and dam, but lack water treatment.

Island Sun for the last two months have investigated Maumelle community, how it accesses water and notices that the community accesses its own water supply provided by an Asian company.

The water is clean but lack of water testing is a significant risk at this stage.

Reports from Research water centre, stated that untreated water may cause water disease such as typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera and gastroenteritis when consume by humans.

SIWA uses chlorine to treat water system in Honiara (as most has experience when turning on the taps, it seems white and cloudy).

A concerned citizen told Island Sun that Solomon Islanders are privileged in accessing clean water, unluckily during the raining season, the water will turn milo when we turn on pipes.

This will affects most unsettlements that used boreholes and dams, and country will have a high rate of diarrhoea and other water borne disease, he added.

The responsible authority need to do awareness on water quality to rural areas and unsettlements to inform them about safety of clean water and ways how to deal with untreated water at the time of flooding, he said.

Water project for Haukona underway

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

AUKI

CONSTRUCTION is underway for a new water supply for Haukona village in West Are Are.

RWASH officer under Malaita province, Mr Peter Tofuola said on Thursday the project is in its implementation phase, expected to be complete by mid-October.

He said recently he led a team to Haukona village as part of the project and conducted a pre-construction training for the villagers.

He said this was a new approach adopted under RWASH policy to ensure project beneficiaries to understand their role during and after completion of the project.

Tofuola said the training dwelled mainly at sustainability of the project – how to use and care for the water project.

Adding that it is also to aware villagers on confusion which may sometimes arise on who is going to do what when the water project need areas of support in its long run.

“On this area, villagers now aware from the training on their responsibility and ownership of the water project,” he said.

Tofuola said five boys from his office were on the construction site to help villagers with technical work of the project.

He said the project was funded under European Union (EU) support for Solomon Islands Government and implemented by RWASH office Auki.

Control established for CRB issue at Takwa

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
Explaining the work of the fungus to village farmer at Takwa. Photos: Hilda Wratten.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

AUKI

Explaining the work of the fungus to village farmer at Takwa. Photos: Hilda Wratten.

AN attempt to control the outbreak of coconut rhinoceros beetle at Takwa area in north Malaita is currently in place.

Recently a research team from MAL was deployed to Takwa and set a total of five artificial breeding sites with the support of communities.

Research Officer from MAL, Ms Hilda Wratten said the breeding sites were made within identified sites applying biological method to deal with the issue.

She explained the intention of the breeding sites was to create a place for the existing adult beetles to breed and conduct with fungi known as Metarhizium anisopliae (virus) injected in the beds.

Wratten said the breeding sites were made using death/rotten woods and placed within them beetle larvae to attract the beetles.

She said the approach was an environmentally friendly biological method of control where looked at destroying all stages of the beetle.

“What will happen was if the beetles use or breed within the beds they will infect by the virus and when left and conduct with other beetles they will pass-on the virus to them.

Application of GMF infected larvae to artificial breeding site.

“The effectiveness of the virus was that if the beetles infected with the virus they will no longer reproduce even so it will not fertile,” Wratten said.

She said that control measure was applied and they will continue to monitor the activity for its progress.

Wratten said focus of their activity was only in Takwa as the targeted site, however, people surrounding Takwa area encouraged to report if sighting the signs of beetle in their area for assistance.

She said currently apart from Guadalcanal the beetle now reached, Makira, Ulawa, Savo, Gela, Russell islands and Takwa in Malaita.

Wratten said parts of Western Province had reported with symptoms of the beetle, but was proved not to be rhinoceros beetle, it was the local or original beetle the country has.

Malaita premier applauds traditional governance and land reform

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
Premier Peter Ramohia delivering his speech. Photos from PM press secretariat

MALAITA Premier Peter Ramohia has expressed his desire to see the enactment of the Traditional Governance and Land Reform Bills which he believes can address impediments to development in the Province.

Speaking at celebrations to mark the Province’s 35th Second Appointed Day at Afio in South Malaita Monday this week, the Premier highlighted that his Executive believed that the current laws governing land tenure systems are inadequate for development in Malaita and Solomon Islands as a whole.

He pointed out that currently acquisition of land for development whether compulsory or under the current Lands and Titles Act isolates tribal land owners from participating in development.

“Acquisition whether compulsory or done under the current Lands and Title Act alienate customary land from tribal land owners thus inadequate for development and must stop and be replaced by Traditional governance and Land reform laws,” Mr Ramohia said.

He said the enactment of the two bills (Traditional governance and Land reform) will prevent the alienation of customary land.

“These laws are about anchoring customary land for development to grow; giving protection and control for local customary land owners to utilize and participate in development; a redirection for Solomon Islands; and therefore deserves a constitutional anchor and protection,” Ramohia said

The Premier said the Malaita provincial government is happy that the National Government is proactively pursuing Traditional governance and Land reform and that extensive progress has already been made.

It is believed that the passing of the Traditional governance and Land reform bills into Laws will be a milestone for the whole country and Premier Ramohia pledges Malaita’s firm support in the process towards enacting these legislations.

–GCU

Hearing into the SAB 2018 concludes

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

THE Public Accounts Committee hearing into the 2018 Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2018 ended successfully yesterday.

It took four days for the PAC to hear from 16 government ministries and agencies who are requesting additional funds or supplementary appropriation for the year ending December 31, 2018.

The 2018 Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2018 is the eleventh bill of 2018 and it seeks to appropriate an additional two hundred and twenty five million, nine hundred and sixty two thousand, and six hundred and seventy three dollars ($225,962,673) from the Consolidated Fund for the financial year ending December 31, 2018.

Just to give a brief overview from the additional Supplementary expenditure, a total of twelve ministries are requesting additional funding which total up to Two hundred million, one hundred thousand, and five hundred and thirty six dollars ($200,100,536).

Of that amount forty three million, six hundred and twenty seven thousand, one hundred and sixty four dollars ($43,627,164) will be for recurrent expenditure while one hundred and fifty six million, four hundred and seventy three thousand, three hundred and seventy two dollars ($156,473,372) for development expenditure.

Four ministries have been requesting additional supplementary expenditure for both recurrent and development spending. These include the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, Ministry of Communication and Aviation and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.

On Contingency Warrant, only the National Judiciary is requesting one million, three hundred and forty two thousand, nine hundred and seven dollars ($1,342,907) while eight ministries are requesting appropriations using Advance Warrants which totaled up to twenty four million, five hundred and nineteen thousand, two hundred and thirty dollars ($24, 519,230).

Five out of the sixteen ministries have requested the largest amount in their supplementary appropriations. They are Ministry of Infrastructure Development $112,427,008, Ministry of Finance and Treasury $20,334,446, Ministry of Health and Medical Services $17,706,306, Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development $14,452,809 and the Ministry of Home Affairs $12,488,680.

The remaining eleven Ministries supplementary appropriations are totaling up to forty eight million, five hundred and fifty three, six hundred and ninety four dollars ($48,553,694).

In terms of variations in expenditure, there is a reduction of three million, five hundred and nineteen thousand, nine hundred dollars ($3,519,900) from what was appropriated in the 2018 Appropriation Act 2018 for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. This amount is transferred to the Health Lifestyles Promotion Fund that is managed under the Tobacco Control Act 2010 by the ministry.

Another transfer of six million dollars ($6,000,000) which was appropriated in the 2018 Appropriation Act to the Ministry of Home Affairs is now transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet for the preparation of the 2023 Pacific Games.

All in all, Supplementary Appropriations which includes Additional Supplementary Expenditure , and expenditure using Contingency Warrant and the Advance Warrant totals up to two hundred and twenty five million, nine hundred and sixty two thousand, and six hundred and seventy three dollars ($225,962,673) for the year ending 31st December 2018.

The Ministries or agencies that have appeared before the PAC during the four days hearing include the Central Bank of Solomon Islands, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, Ministry of Communication and Aviation, Ministry of Commerce, Industries, Labor and Immigration, Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, National Judiciary, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ministry of Public Service, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade.

A report containing the PAC’s recommendations from the hearing will be compiled later for Members of Parliament to prepare them in their second reading debate of the Bill when Parliament resumes on Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

You can access the copy of the 2018 Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2018 on our website for more details.

–PARLIAMENT MEDIA

West re-structures admin

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
Western Province PS Jeffery Wickham.

BY ALFRED PAGEPITU

GIZO

Western Province PS Jeffery Wickham.

WESTERN provincial government is working on re-structuring its administration hierarchy.

This is the key objective of the government’s plan. To improve and restructure the administration setup.

Provincial Secretary (PS) Jeffery Wickham yesterday said that the newly formed government has neglected to improve its administrations for years.

At the moment government is now analyzing to see effective services delivery be improved in the province.

“The government of the day will look at the audiences, policies and re-structuring of its administrations.

“For the next six month, we will look on to other tasks to be review include policies.

“The government has now new adversary board members to provide support to all divisions to deal with other issues of the government.”

Head teacher calls on communities to work together

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

THE head teacher of Isabel province’s Gagaolo Primary School in Hograno Highlands is calling on members of their community to work together to help develop the school.

Renward Matesala who comes from Hograno expressed that cooperation among everyone in Kolomola and Alu’Alu, the two villages that own the school has been lacking.

He said that the school was funded by Japan in 2011 and completed by 2013.

However, Matesala stresses that when funding for the school was over people were no longer active in school related activities.

He stated that parents whose children attended the school were the only ones who supported the school by cleaning around the school compound and building staff houses.

“Only parents have helped the school in terms of cleaning the school and building staff houses while others have showed no cooperation”, he said.

Mateala is strongly calling on everyone from both communities to come together and cooperate in school initiatives like school programs, fundraisings and projects.

“If we work together, parents, teachers and everyone will be happy”, he said.

Maetala is also appealing to the people of Isabel province in Honiara to support the school.

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