Samarai Murua District in Milne Bay province will be receiving district materials, machinery and items worth over Five-Million-Kina this weekend. This will be the district’s first major delivery for this term of parliament after the national elections ended three months ago in July. It is part of an ongoing program from the last term of parliament for delivery of goods and services in the district. Samarai Murua Member of Parliament and Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Hon. Isi Henry Leonard was on hand to officially launch the release of the loaded barge at the Motukea Wharf in Port Moresby. The barge is loaded with the district materials and items which are committed for several ongoing projects at the District Centre on Misima Island including wards in surrounding islands. Some of the items loaded include eight PMV trucks for communities around Misima Island, with the other truck for Kulumudava Community School in Woodlark island to be loaded in the next voyage of the barge. Other items include eight copra dryers for the corpra farmers to be distributed to copra farmers in Rossel, Sudest and parts of the district with nine bales of copra bags. “We also have on board Misima Secondary School building materials for the building program. These were supposed to be delivered prior the elections but due to the fast approaching election time, but now it’s been delivered. “We also have with us on board United church materials for Liak community Ward and also the Pantava community church building. This voyage also includes the Women’s association Business arm, the Misima Guest House generator set for back up power, some water tanks and also materials for maintenance of the Tagula government outpost which needs a complete revamp,” Hon. Leonard said. He said these were some of the programs that were lined up in the district, indicating that there were more materials to deliver for the district so the barge would make this voyage and return to Port Moresby to load again and deliver the second lot for other programs. Mr Leonard confirmed that the net worth of the materials and items loaded for this voyage of goods and services to be delivered was over five million kina. He highlighted the struggles of maritime districts with logistics and transportation being a major challenge but was grateful that the district could charter a huge barge to load as much materials as possible. Mr Leonard said all these load of items and materials were from the District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) funds with logistics covered as well. He stressed the need for the government to factor a DSIP component for logistics alone for the most remote districts which continued to be a struggle for many leaders and their people. Adding that all districts received Ten-Million-Kina DSIP funding but in reality, the most remote districts had more challenges and expenses with logistics either by sea or air costing more compared to districts in urban cities and centres. He thanked his people of Samarai Murua for their patience and understanding in the delivery of good and services to a challenging maritime district. Mr Leonard will be travelling to the District to receive the barge at Bwagaoia Station on Misima Island this weekend.

The National Department of Health (NDoH) has been focusing on getting the basics right by improving and implementing systems to address future health emergencies. As seen in the polio response in 2018 and the recent COVID-19 pandemic response from 2020, both have presented challenges and opportunities for the country to continue to improve on its preparedness in health emergency crisis. Since May 2021, the NDOH, in partnership with Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETPNG), and with funding and technical support from World Health Organazation (WHO)  and its partners, University of Newcastle Field Epidemiology in Action Project, the Australian Government through the PNGAusPartnership, GOARN, and the National Control Center (NCC) has been running Rapid Response Team (RRT) trainings with Provincial Health Authorities (PHA) around the country to help them be better prepared to respond to future health crisis. RRT’s are critical for early and timely outbreak or crisis investigation and respond in public health emergencies and is made up of technical, multi-disciplinary team of experts who a readily available for a quick mobilization and deployment. There have been 15 PHA and one district RRT Introduction and Composition training conducted. There are eight more PHA’s to undergo this introduction and composition training. After this, all provincial RRT’s will go through an  ‘Action Training Review’ workshop, in which, their response plans are reviewed before they are fully prepared for emergency response. There will be ongoing training as part of their capacity development. The first ever national and provincial RRT trainings for PNG were delivered by WHO  in 2019, shortly after the Polio Outbreak.

Papua New Guinea completed a perfect Pacific Cup as they were crowned champions of the inaugural tournament on Thursday. The Lewas finished as comprehensively as they started, defeating Samoa by ten wickets before the final match against Vanuatu was washed out on the third and final day of action. In the day's other completed morning match, Vanuatu were too strong for Fiji, securing the home side second place. PNG's Naoani Vare was adjudged player of the tournament as well as best batter (225 runs) as teammate Isabel Toua (11 wickets) won the bowling award. Day Two Results: PNG 50/0 (4.5 overs) Vare 25* (16) defeated Samoa 49 (16.3) Toua 3-7 (4) ) by 10 wickets. The Lewas made light work of Samoa in their first match on day three chasing down the target of 50 in less than five overs without losing a wicket. The Samoan wickets were shared among four PNG bowlers with Isabel Toua the pick with 3-7 from four overs. Naoani Vare was 25 not out from 16 deliveries run the chase belting five boundaries in the process. Player of the match: Isabel Toua (PNG) [caption id="attachment_28020" align="alignnone" width="871"] Player of the Tournament Naoani Vare scored 225 runs [/caption] Vanuatu 150/6 (20) Langiatu 55 (49), Solman 50* (44), Vakuruivalu 2-33 (4) defeated Fiji 86/9 (20) Waqavakatoga 20 (40), Navaika 3-13 (4 by 64 runs. Half centuries from Valenta Langiatu and Selina headlined a comeback victory for Vanuatu after losing both matches on day two. Langiatu was in solid form as opener but saw a flurry of wickets at the other end including two run outs leaving the hosts at 41 for 4 in the seventh over. Solman strode to the crease and the two set about rebuilding the innings, putting on 69 in 9.3 overs before Langiatu was bowled. Having played the support role in the partnership with Langiatu with 17 from 28, Solman went into attack mode scoring 33 from the 16 deliveries faced after the fifth wicket fell, completing a half century with a two from the final ball of the innings as Vanuatu's score also reached 150. Ilisapeci Waqavakatoga was again steady at the top of the order for Fiji with 20 from 40 but the tourists could not keep up with the required rate, with wickets falling at regular intervals. Fiji finished on 86 for 9 with Langiatu and Andrew all collecting two wickets each and Nasimana Navaika taking 3-13 from 4. Player of the match: Valenta Langiatu (Vanuatu) Samoa 120/2 (17) Lui Nono 57* (54) match abandoned with Fiji. PNG 154/4 (18.4 overs) Ruma 48 (41), Vare 35 (30) Solman 1-26 (4) match abandoned with Vanuatu. Source: Cricket Vanuatu

On Tuesday, 5 October 2022, Nambawan Super Limited (NSL) resorted to locking out tenants occupying the Revenue Haus (Internal Revenue Commission) and Vulupindi Haus (Department of Finance) after the State failed to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the settlement of its outstanding rental arrears. Overnight, NSL has extended the lockout to Eda Tano Haus (Department of Lands & Physical Planning) and Treasury Haus (Department of Treasury). Over the past 12 months, NSL has been consulting with all levels of the State on the issue of outstanding rentals which date back three (3) years to 2019 and had grown to more than K170 million by October 2022. Through these discussions with the State, we believe that we have presented an accurate account of the arrears owed, based on the Invoices issued each month by the facilities manager and reconciled against payments received. NSL has been actively trying to work with the State to resolve this with little success, leaving NSL little choice but to escalate to locking our own Members from their workplaces. NSL is resolved that the State will remain locked out until they sign the MoA and make the next payment of K30 million as stipulated in the agreement. Once the State enters an agreement, if they default on the payment plan, NSL will not hesitate to lock out its buildings again. We understand this action has a flow on impact to our hard-working Members and causes business disruptions, but the State must meet its obligations. Despite the lockouts, NSL is continuing to engage with the State to proactively resolve the issue in a mutually satisfying manner. NSL will not lock out the Department of Health, which is also a tenant of NSL, and will allow access only for critical staff from the Department of Finance that manage the Payroll and Integrated Financial Management Systems, to ensure public servants’ payroll is not unduly affected by this exercise. While the rental arrears remain unpaid, the Fund’s over 214,000 Members continue to lose value on their potential returns. If the issue remains unresolved, NSL expects that it will compound the already tough global economic conditions that the Fund has been facing in 2022.

Priscilla Tangu’s dream of becoming a construction site engineer became reality due to her dedication to complete her studies, and the support and encouragement of her family and her employer. Originally from East Sepik but raised in Lae, Morobe Province, Priscilla had strong family support to pursue her dream. Priscilla’s father – a builder – encouraged her to be qualified and work in a professional role. He motivated her to attend university and complete her degree. “After my third year, I withdrew from studies to take care of my son and pursue a different career. Seeing my former school mates continue their education, graduate, and join the workforce – something I was passionate about, made me realise that I needed to get my degree. It was then I decided to return to university, complete my studies (fourth year), and get my degree. My parents and my partner were supportive of me,” said Priscilla. In 2019, Priscilla commenced a 1-year Industrial Training placement with CPB Contractors, while still studying. During her four years with CPB Contractors, Priscilla honed her skills on a large construction site and progressed from an under-graduate engineer to a junior engineer role after she graduated with a Bachelor of Building from PNG University of Technology in 2020. During that time, Priscilla worked on the ANGAU Hospital Redevelopment, supported by the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership to transform the health facility and improve service delivery at the hospital. With more than K500 million invested, it is the largest single Australian-funded infrastructure investment since PNG’s independence and is underpinned by new urban and rural health facilities in the province. Priscilla’s typical workday under the current project is busy. “My daily routine varies and usually starts with attending our daily pre-start safety briefing with the entire site crew. After the pre-start, I provide details, or any information required to the leading hand or the site supervisor to ensure the work is carried out correctly and safely. Throughout the day, I check works on site against construction drawings, check for quality, work progress, safety and I also do ‘take-offs’ (quantity checks) for building materials for procurement both locally and overseas,” she said. Priscilla has learnt much about new technologies and approaches in the construction industry, including software, equipment, and methodology. She credits her colleagues for the knowledge gained during her four years on site. “My Australian counterparts that I’ve worked with taught me the ropes of doing construction Quality Assurance, explained the services side of building construction, and enriched my knowledge in Contract Administration, costing and quantity surveying. My managers also taught me a lot and one of those lessons was the importance of planning,” she added. Initially, one of Priscilla’s concerns was how she would fit in as a woman in the construction industry, knowing that it was male dominated. In PNG, women account for approximately 10% of the construction industry. With CPB Contractors’ commitment to gender equality and equity in the workplace, Priscilla felt supported, giving her confidence to do her job without fear of discrimination. Another challenge was balancing work and family life. She is fortunate to work with a supportive company, and a strong support system at home has also made life easier. In the next 10 years, Priscilla sees herself pursing a Master of Construction Management, managing a construction project, and eventually teaching at the local university to share her knowledge and experience. Priscilla’s message to upcoming graduates, especially women joining the construction industry, is that it is demanding so requires commitment and discipline, but it is rewarding to bring an abstract item, such as drawings on paper, to life. “For someone who loves challenges, the construction industry is the right industry for you. I’ve worked with women who are electricians, plumbers, crane operators, quantity surveyors, contract administrators, and engineers and they are thriving in this male dominated industry. So, if all these women can do it, then you can too. Just be confident, be willing to learn, and have an open mind to criticism,” said Priscilla.

The Lae Biscuit Company Morobe Hammerheads are participating in the Kumul Petroluem PNG Rugby Union Mens 15s Championship, the week-long tournament is being hosted at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby.  Kina Bank supported the LBC Hammerheads with training gear (tshirts and caps) and a financial contribution of K3000.00 to go towards materials for ice baths and recovery, straps, electrolytes and hydration packs. Lae based Business Development Manager, Livingstone Nenjipa, presented the gear and dummy cheque to the team in Port Moresby last week Friday. This is the first time Kina Bank has supported the team and the sport. We wish the LBC Morobe Hammerheads and all other teams the very best as the tournament comes to a close this weekend. All players participating will be contending for a PNG Pukpuks jumper. The tournament has seen four associations, Morobe Rugby Union, Capital Rugby Union, East New Britain Rugby Union and NCD Rugby Union compete in the a first past the post challenge this week, which culminates in the finals this weekend on Saturday 8 October. PNGRU national selectors and head coach Sydney Welsey are using the tournament to decide the national team to compete in the Oceania Rugby 15s. The Oceania 15s is scheduled for later this month, October 22 – 29 2022, to be hosted in Port Moresby at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium.

Whistleblower protection is an important action and is integral in safeguarding public interest and increasing accountability in the public sector. This was highlighted at the opening of a three-day training event on Whistleblower Protection for Public Officials on Monday October 3rd in Port Moresby. The United Nations Development Programme, through the European Union funded Preventing and Countering Corruption in Papua New Guinea Project delivered the event in partnership with National Government’s Department of Justice and Attorney General. Having finished on Wednesday October 5th, it saw over 45 public officials from various Government departments participate, all of whom have a mandate to implement the Whistleblower Act. “As Papua New Guineans we must think seriously about where we stand on the global stage, and of the negative impact of corruption to our society,” said Mr Thomas Eluh, Chairman of the Interim Independent Commission Against Corruption. The key objective of the three-day training was to build capacity. It did this drawing on international expertise, global experience, knowledge tools and practical skills on whistleblower protection. Participants discussed the Whistleblower Act 2020, draft regulations and policies and the practical approaches for the effective implementation of a Whistleblower protection system in public sector organisations. “This training is largely focused on the implementation of the Whistleblower Act, which is another step toward increasing accountability in the public sector. The reason the Whistleblower Act is so important is that it provides protection, for citizens to call corruption out,” said Mr. Edward Vrkic, UNDP’s Officer in Charge. The Whistleblower Act of Papua New Guinea passed in 2020. However, the implementation has not yet commenced. UNDP is providing assistance to key partners to develop regulations, guidelines, and procedures to implement this Act by building capacity and confidence among those responsible for its implementation. ‘’Whistleblower protection is an important action, and it is essential not only for detecting fraud, corruption and misconduct but also for safeguarding the public interest, for promoting a culture of accountability and integrity in both public and private institutions,’’ said Mr. Davide Messina, Programme Manager, European Union Delegation to Papua New Guinea. The Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP Papua New Guinea and United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), aims to strengthen the Government’s commitment and capacities to address corruption to effectively progress the Sustainable Development Goals for the benefit of all Papua New Guineans.

 In the face of declining coastal resources, the Singaut Blo Solwara campaign is launched today in the New Ireland Province to marry traditional and modern ways of managing the sea to improve food security and livelihoods. Coastal resources in Papua New Guinea, as for the other islands in the Pacific, have been declining due to overfishing, climate change impacts and habitat degradation. Yet, coastal fisheries are critical for food security, livelihoods and cultural wellbeing. “Our communities continue to face increased challenges meeting their needs from the sea, but somehow the message to better manage our resources is lost due to overly technical information, the daily demand for food and income, hard to reach communities and our declining traditions,” said Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resource, Jelta Wong, in a prepared statement. The objective of this awareness campaign is to promote sustainable fishing practices and good role models among the communities. It will be implemented all over the Province of New Ireland for the next two years and will consist of three parts: through the media; targeted places and events such as markets or cultural days; and through direct engagement with grassroots champions. “Singaut Blo Solwara, an innovative campaign, is part of a national effort to use culturally-appropriate information tools and channels in inspire and empower all of our communities to take ownership of managing their resources,” Wong added. “Our objective is nothing short of creating a national grassroots movement to revive our seas.” In partnership with New Ireland NBC, the campaign recently launched a monthly radio program, and is in rolling out radio dramas and a radio documentary series in the future. The campaign is coordinated by cChange International, an organisation that specialises in behavioural change campaigns in the Pacific Islands. Working in partnership with the National Fisheries College and Wildlife Conservation Society and community-based organisations, cChange and partners are now developing simple, illustrated outreach tools and videos to help any community champions facilitate discussions in their communities. These tools will be distributed through a network of partners, at all levels, with a focus on building the capacity of community champions to lead the way. The campaign is supported through the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme, which is funded by the European Union and the Government of Sweden. The Locally-Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network International and the Pacific Community (SPC) are technical advisors to the campaign. Similar campaigns are being launched and supported by PEUMP across the Pacific region to find innovative and low-cost ways to engage all communities effectively, which can be supported long-term by even limited government budgets. The campaign will run for about two years before ideally being share nationally. “The first step is capturing the pride and imagination of our people. This campaign is our story, bringing us together in our PNG ways and solving problems as communities, as we have for thousands of years,” said Dudley Abhab, the cChange campaign coordinator, who recently wrote and produced the campaign theme-song ‘Bungium Yumi’ (Unites Us). The song should hit the radio waves soon after the launch.

The 2022 Annual Takuru 4’s tourney is set to kick off this weekend. The tournament will run on the 8-9 October, 2022 at the Defence Bowling Club at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby. Seven clubs from Lae, Bulolo, Mt Hagen, Goroka, Madang and Port Moresby will participate in this annual Lawn Bowls event. Goroka will be on its toes to defend its title as the champions from the 46th Takuru 4’s last year. “Each club is required to field three teams but the host, Defence Bowling Club, has the privilege of fielding more than three teams,” President of Defence Bowling Club, Lieutenant Colonel Robby Tanfa said. “Port Moresby will see the Metro Bowling Club at Bisini, field three teams while Defence may field more than three teams.” This year’s event is be special as the Former Force Sergeant Major and the second local to be FSM, and the founding president of the Defence Bowling Club, Late Chief Warrant officer Ezekia Takuru (Retired) , passed away mid this year. “We have plans to observe the passing of this great bowler and ex-service man,” Col Tanfa said. “The prize money is set at six-thousand-kina. Comrade Trustee has given us a sponsorship of K5000.00 and City Pharmacy Group of company will is sponsoring the individual consolation prizes. We are very grateful for the support from these sponsors to help make it possible to host the event.” All the clubs are expected to travel in by Friday ahead of the games on Saturday. A final list of sponsors and prizes in cash and kind will be announced this Friday.

October is women’s health awareness month under the Pinktober global health campaign and BSP Financial Group Limited as a responsible corporate organisation also joins others to champion this worthy cause in the community. In kicking off Pinktober and in support of Breast Cancer awareness month, BSP Staff from Corporate Banking, Treasury, Credit, BSP Capital, BSP First and the Executive Management team took part in the Pinktober walk-a thon on Saturday 1st October, 2022, from Ravalian Haus at Harbour City to Ela Beach. [caption id="attachment_27968" align="alignnone" width="1024"] . BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming (third from right) and BSP Group GM Corporate Peter Beswick (back in pink cap) with staff prior to the Pinktober walk.[/caption] BSP Corporate Banking Senior Relationship Manager Natasha Bernadette said the bank is pleased to be driving Pinktober awareness this month with planned activities which includes a free breast examination day for female staff, cancer education awareness sessions and fundraising activities which will see proceeds go to the Port Moresby General Hospital and PNG Cancer Foundation. She said according to the World Health Organisation, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer with 685, 000 deaths globally in 2020. As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer. One out of 3 deaths could’ve been prevented through early detection. [caption id="attachment_27969" align="alignnone" width="906"] BSP Staff walking along the Champion Parade road on Saturday 1st October, 2022, during the Pinktober walk.[/caption] “Our aim is to raise awareness on the importance of cancer prevention and early detection – this is important because at BSP women make up half of the 4,500 staff in PNG and the Pacific. Our staff must be equipped with knowledge to take care of themselves and their families and also be advocates in their communities, we want to help save lives. The staff and management have been so supportive of this worthy cause; their generosity means we have reached 70% of our fundraising target to-date, our aim is to raise K10,000,” Ms Bernadette said. Pinktober continues to be observed at BSP. Over the past (3) three years BSP Staff from the Asset Management and Lending Support Business Unit have raised over K31,000 through this annual fundraiser with proceedings donated to the PNG Cancer Foundation. The team is also running Pinktober fundraising activities with proceeds to go to Port Moresby General Hospital. BSP as a Corporate Organisation also supports the PNG Cancer Foundation (PNGCF) Trupla Man Outreach Prevention & Education Program. This year BSP supported the foundation’s Trupela Man program and Mausgras campaign to promote starting the conversation on men's health and cancer awareness and to push the important messages of making healthy lifestyle choices and early detection.

The National Examinations for grades 10, 12 & 8 students in the general education system, including private permitted schools will begin in the second week and end in the 4th week of October. The published dates for the 2022 examinations are; Grade 10 (LSSCE) Exam Dates: 10 – 14 October (One Week), Grade 12 (USSCE) Exam, 17 – 21 October (One Week) and Grade 8 (COBE) Exam 24-27 October (4 days). A total of 31,155 students from 212 Grade 12 schools including 6 National Schools of Excellence, 71,300 Grade10 students from 213 High/Secondary Schools, and 125,000 Grade 8 students from 3,433 Primary Schools are expected to sit the national examinations. This data includes a few students with special needs especially in grade 8 and 10. “I encourage and expect every student to demonstrate his or her own God given intelligence in the National Examinations without mal-practices of any kind. We have successfully delivered Examinations in the recent years and this should continue in the future, strengthening confidence in the great future for all of us. Every child entering our schools should be allowed an even ‘playing field’ to grow and become the person that they deserve to be”, Secretary for Education, Dr. Uke Kombra said. The Department is urging all citizens to work together to eliminate cheating in the national examinations as cheating and other mal-practices discredit efforts to improve the country’s education system, thus bringing the country’s examination and certification system into disrepute. Dr. Kombra said that he is confident that the students have prepared well, as there was minimal disruptions to teaching and learning this year compared to last year. “I thank and appreciate all our Parents, Teachers, School Inspectors, Guidance Officers, Schools Governing Board Members, Provincial Education Advisors and other Stake holders for your dedication and commitment towards the successful completion of the school year,” the Secretary said. The Grade 10 results will be released to the Grade 11 Selection Conference on the 5th of December and the Grade 12 results will be released to the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) on the 12th of December. Grade 8 results will be taken care of by the respective Provinces and the Certificates will be sent to the schools/provinces by the 3rd week of December, 2022. “I wish every grade 10, 12 and 8 student all the best in the coming national examinations, and also in their future endeavors,” Dr. Kombra said

Personal Account opening, registrations for Mobile and Internet Banking and Cash Agent awareness will be among services offered this weekend at the BSP Stall during the 59th Morobe Show. The Morobe Show is back after two (2) years of absence, and BSP is pleased to support its return with a Red Ribbon Sponsorship of K20, 000 towards the show at the Lae Showgrounds. [caption id="attachment_27952" align="alignnone" width="906"] BSP Lae Staff assisting a customer open her account during the 2017 Morobe Show[/caption] BSP as a bank that promotes people, small businesses and culture sees the Morobe Agricultural Show as an opportunity for participants in these industries to display and promote agriculture, livestock, horticulture, floriculture, livestock, Singsings as well as the SME sector in the community. BSP Head of Corporate Banking Dean Whitchurch in presenting the sponsorship cheque to the Morobe Show committee said BSP values its relationships within the communities it operates in. “We also acknowledges that Lae, Morobe Province, is one of the key contributors to PNG economy, being the food bowl of the country through the support of informal markets, farmers, fresh produce and SMEs,” Mr Whitchurch said. [caption id="attachment_27953" align="alignnone" width="906"] BSP Lae Staff assisting customers during the 2017 Morobe Show[/caption] “For many consecutive years we have supported the Morobe Show and as we approach the 59th Morobe Show scheduled for this weekend, BSP is pleased to come on board as a Red Ribbon Sponsor with K20,000 towards the event. “BSP will also be part of the (2) two day event. Our teams will be onsite to assist with Account Opening, Mobile and Internet Banking Registration, Cash Agent Awareness, and assist with any SME queries,” Mr Whitchurch added. President of the Morobe Agricultural Show Mike Quinn in receiving the cheque on behalf of the Show Committee thanked BSP for the continued support over the years.