Head of the PNG Defense Force Commander Major General Gilbert Toropo reassured the public that despite the differences between the disciplinary forces since the weekend which spilled over this week, they stand firm to deliver a safe and free election come next year with security high on the agenda. Major General Toropo said there are only a few members of the two disciplinary forces that are acting out of line but the rest of the members are intact and set for the 2022 National General Elections. “We have worked together over the years for the Police and Defence. Police Commissioner has put through a very good operations order and our members of the PNG Defence Force are working together with the police to ensure that our people enjoy the freedom of going to the Elections in 2022.” Toropo said the two forces will be working in unity as they have already started election preparations together and the public can be rest assured that security won’t be a problem during the 2022 National General Elections.

For Thelma Hungito, being at the centre of efforts to combat family and sexual violence in one of PNG’s most heavily populated provinces is much more than just a job. As Coordinator of Morobe’s Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC), Thelma is at the forefront of action to tackle everything from violence against women, children and those accused of sorcery to improving services for people living with a disability. It is a demanding role made tougher by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused a surge in calls for assistance. Even after five years in the role, Thelma’s determination to improve lives and drive change is undiminished. “Violence against women continues to occur at an alarming scale,” she says. “Too often it is accepted as normal behaviour.” “To end violence against women, children and the vulnerable, we need to challenge the attitudes that perpetuate, rationalise and normalise violence and deny everyone’s right to safety.” After graduating with a Social Work Degree from Divine Word University in 2013, Thelma joined the Morobe Provincial Administration’s Community Development Division where she was employed as Social Welfare Officer. It became apparent to Thelma just how prevalent violence against women, children and the vulnerable was and she decided to do what she could to help combat it. Over the next two years the idea of establishing a Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee in Morobe gained momentum and in 2016, Thelma was appointed inaugural FSVAC Coordinator. Thelma threw herself into the role with enthusiasm, building networks, writing budgets, sourcing funding, running workshops and training sessions, working with partners, strengthening referral pathways, recording data and attending meetings. The pressure has barely let up since and Thelma admits that at times it can almost feel overwhelming. But she finds strength and support among Morobe’s tight-knit group of experienced women leaders campaigning against FSV. Thelma takes the daily challenges posed by limited resources and logistics support, inadequate office space, tight budgets and attacks by critics in her stride, regarding them as steppingstones rather than obstacles. “As long as I am doing my work holistically and people are receiving services from providers, I am happy with the work I am doing,” Thelma said. One of her proudest achievements is helping oversee the decentralisation of FSV services within the province. So far, she has assisted in establishing FSVACs in six of Morobe’s nine districts, with the remaining three well on their way. “We aim to empower Village Court officials in the communities,” Thelma says. “We sensitise and train them on the Family Protection Act and how to issue Interim Protection Orders to protect survivors and their families.” She views this work as essential in helping ensure FSV survivors have ready access to effective legal and support services in their communities in the Districts. “We don’t want survivors to spend huge sums of money to come into the city to get help.” Thelma says. Thelma is just as pleased to be involved in training police officers about the importance of gender awareness in their work. “We’ve seen changes in how male officers attend to FSV complaints unlike before when they don’t prioritise these cases.” Thelma is grateful for the support she receives from the Australian Government through the Papa New Guinea-Australia Partnership that has helped her grow and do her job. Thelma knows there is still a long way to go but she remains resolute. “Shifting behaviour is hard and slow but gender equality means all of us and working with all genders is the only way to see true change,” she says.  

South Pacific Brewery (SPB) joined other HEINEKEN operating companies across the globe to host World Quality Week on Thursday 11th to Friday 19th November 2021. “Quality is the foundation of sustainable growth in our company, supporting our 2030 Brewing A Better World." "Passion for customers and consumers underpins our obsession for quality. A strong Quality culture is essential to make sure consumers and customers are at the heart of everything we do,” said Jamosah Verave, SPB’s Quality Assurance Manager. World Quality Week saw SPB staff engaged in safety and quality checks, food safety virtual Webinars as we progress into meeting the Food Safety Standards Certification 22000 and brewery tours. Staff who have never visited the packaging hall were given the chance to see how our products are packed. Staff were encouraged to embrace the opportunity to learn together, so that SPB continues to brew the highest quality beers and beverages to best serve its’ customers. “I was really excited to receive great feedback from staff who participated in the World Quality Week. They found our program insightful,” said Ms Verave. Wesley Rabuni (Site Nurse, SPB Pom) “I’ve worked in the Brewery for three years but never really understood the quality process until I went on the tour. Processes such as ‘Entrance Quality Control’ (EQC). The first check done was to verify if all raw and packaging materials meet defined specifications before releasing into production. In this case – packaging material EQC are done before releasing into the packaging process to pack our respective brands. Sullyanne Sisii (ICT Network Support Officer, SPB Pom) “We only see the products out in trade, but we don’t see the hard work that’s put into maintaining the quality of the products in packaging.” Qwati Taureka (Off-Trade Metro Manager, SPB Lae) “Seeing the quality and testing processes of how beer is manufactured was a great learning experience. I gained so much insight that will enable me to provide the right information to customers, when I am out in trade. I am now equipped with information to talk about our quality checks and processes.” Ms Verave added: “When we look at it, overall, Quality is a sequence of systematic processes developed to maintain the following: ▪ Product quality ▪ Process Quality and ▪ System Quality “Nothing works well without an effective interaction of each processes from start to finish. Everyone plays an important part in making and getting our product out in market. Quality is everything we do - it is our culture."

Ela Motors on Wednesday this week, donated PPE Supplies worth K40,000 to the Covid Center at Port Moresby General Hospital. This is part of their continuous support to the hospital since the pandemic began in 2020. Ela Motors National Marketing Manager, Benjamin Niligur, expressed his appreciation towards Friends of POMGEN and their effort to support POMGEN. “On behalf of Ela Motors, we would like to extend our appreciation to Friends of POMGEN and what they do for our National Hospital and as part of our annual ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Program’ we are happy to donate a total of K40,000 worth of PPE Supplies ranging from face shields, gloves, hand sanitizers, masks and gowns”. “We continue to support hospitals around the country especially during this pandemic”, added Mr. Niligur. FOPG Officer, Ms. Grace Roland POMGEN and POM Gen Stores Manager, Ms. Theresa Gairi, were on hand to receive the donation. Ms. Roland thanked Ela Motors for their generosity and continuous support towards the hospital and said, ‘We are forever grateful to our friends at Ela Motors. They are always looking out for the hospital, the staff and our patients."

Trukai Industries recently donated K5,000 towards a fundraiser to send 500 unfortunate children to school in 2022. This donation will go towards Life PNG Care’s fundraising drive to raise K400,000 towards their Strongim Pikinini Program. There are three programs that come under their Strongim Pikinini Education program. They include the Underprivileged Student Sponsorship Program, Mobile Education Program and Home Schooling Program. Trukai Industries’ Public Relations and Communications Manager Andrea Tagamasau, when presenting the cheque commended Life PNG Care for the work they have done through their various education programs. “We know that with this support Life PNG Care can be able to impact more lives by giving unfortunate children the privilege of education and we wish them all success in their fundraising drive,” said Ms. Tagamasau. Founding Director of Life PNG Care Collin Pake Yakio said they have been able to raise K226,000 so far and thanked Trukai Industries for their support. “We really appreciate Trukai's continuous partnership and commitment with our vision to impact the next generation for a better PNG,” said Mr. Yakio. “Children should have access to education as it is a fundamental human right that can have a dramatic impact on their future, thus this fundraiser is entirely for this course,” said Mr. Yakio. Life PNG Care is a registered community based organization that promotes, supports and initiates grass roots social aid programs within local communities. Trukai Industries has been supporting Life PNG Care for over 10 years and continues to support them and similar organisations when it comes to education, health, sports and people living with disabilities through their Corporate Social Responsibility Program.

The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project in Madang was given a K100 million allocation in the 2022 national budget that was tabled today in parliament. Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Rainbo Paita said PMIZ is one of the long awaited projects that has been stalled over the years due to funding constraints and therefore was captured in the budget. “The project looks at generating over 40, 000 jobs for ordinary Papua New Guineans as well as several billions of kina for the national coffers,” Mr Paita said. Fisheries Minister Dr Lino Tom said in parliament last week that the project will kick off next year when funding is made available. The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project in Madang was launched in November 2015 and also captured in the recent Fisheries Strategic Plan 2021-2030 where the special economic zone for fisheries will provide necessary infrastructure for downstream processing of fish products.

THE high increase in the number of people going for vaccination in October has dropped drastically this month. This seems to be linked to the drop in the number of COVID-19 cases being reported this month as compared to the month of October. As of today, 25th November, 2021, a total of 272, 141 have received at least one dose of a  COVID-19 vaccine which is 14.6 per cent of the target population of 1, 869, 279 for 2021. Those fully vaccinated stand at 201, 318 which is 10.8 per cent of the target population for 2021. The three vaccines being administered in PNG are AstraZeneca Oxford, Johnson and Johnson and Sinopharm. So far, a total of 359, 659 doses of the three vaccines have been administered of which 227, 858 (63.4%) were for Astrazeneca, 113, 800 (31.6%) were for Johnson and Johnson and 18, 001 (5%) were for Sinopharm. Deputy Controller of the National Pandemic Response Dr Daoni Esorom has expressed his concern over the behavior of the people towards COVID-19. He said this virus will not go away on its own; people  have to do their part and the most effective weapon against it is the vaccine, including adhering to the Niupela Pasin strategies and interventions. “A lot of people came to get vaccinated when they saw the cases increasing and people dying, but when the numbers went down, the number of people coming for vaccination also dropped,’’ said Dr Daoni. “This really reflects the general behavior of our people in all health matters. They do  not take preventive measures until something happens to them and they react. This is why we had lost so many people in this wave, driven mainly by delta variant. Had people listened and got vaccinated earlier, they would have developed some immunity with the help of the vaccine long before the delta variant arrived.’’ He added: “You can’t get vaccinated today and expect to be protected against the virus in the next few days as some had done and unfortunately did not make it when they got the virus. It takes time for the vaccine to work so people have to be smart and get vaccinated now when they’re well and healthy.’’ Despite the number of surges going down,  the number of new cases being reported per day are still high. As of the 24th November, 2021, there were 102 new cases reported raising the country’s confirmed cases to 34, 707. There were also 13 new deaths which raised the confirmed known deaths to 542.

The Minister Health & HIV and Member for Gazelle, Hon. Jelta Wong released a statement on the occasion of the NEC Approval of the Rabaul tuna Export processing zone and the Gazelle Agro-Special Economic Zone. Minister Wong stated that the Marape Government is looking at how best to add value to our natural resources to drive our economy forward. We must seriously choose strategies that are relevant to boosting growth of our economy. We must choose between Industrial Park, Special Economic Zones, Export Processing Zones or Free Trade Zones which have proven to work for other nations throughout the world. PNG has established Industrial Centers in urban settings which provide a starting point in developing business hubs. The roll out of economic Zones in various provinces has a lot of potential, however they are at various stages of development hence the need for better coordination and adapting the right policies that are fit for purpose. In East New Britain, we now have two(2) economic Zones recently endorsed and approved by the NEC. These projects are the Gazelle Agro- Special Economic Zone(SEZ) and the Rabaul Tuna & Coastal Fisheries Export Processing Zone(RTEPZ). I congratulate the Hon. Prime Minister, James Marape for his full support to both projects that will benefit East New Britain and the New Guinea Islands. The Gazelle – Agro Special Economic Zone and Rabaul-Tuna Export Processing Zone have been approved by the National Executive Council last week and I’m proud to announce these two impact project for the people of East New Britain Province and the New Guinea Islands. These projects will: • grow the economy of East New Britain Province and PNG, • apply tax free imports and exports • increase production onshore • maximize returns for ENBP and PNG • increase foreign exchange for PNG • increase employment and • increase SME and spin off business opportunities for landowners They are pilot projects and East New Britain Province is fortunate to trial Agro-Special Economic Zone in the Gazelle District and the Rabaul Tuna and Coastal Fisheries Export Processing Zone in Rabaul District. These projects will only succeed through strong leadership, maximum cooperation between districts and wards, maximum local participation, qualitative transparency, accountability, honesty and integrity and zero tolerance of corruption, mismanagement and nepotism. These projects will resurrect our weak copra and cocoa industry, lost to cocoa pod borer and negligence of coconut rehabilitation. It will catapult balsa to new heights, realign coffee through the existence of a coffee factory in the province and resurrect vanilla and other species and boost the local economy. This FTZ will convert local nuts like galip into an industry and who knows, the same can be done for the giant okari nuts. Inland fisheries may not be impossible for farmers. Livestock will be boosted for local consumption and export. Tourism will increase beyond today. Infrastructure development will include roads, bridges, wharfs, airports and many more. The education will improve through better education infrastructure, material supply and teacher training. International developers will partner with clans to develop their land. Rabaul and Kerevat Town will receive much needed development. By piloting Gazelle -Agro Special Economic Zone and Rabaul – Tuna Export Processing Zone PNG will set foundation and adoption of a PNG Free Trade Zone Development Policy and Strategic Plan using local expertise whose broad experience will be combined to develop them. These projects would not have eventuated without the commitment of: 1. Honorable Member for Rabaul, Dr. Allan Marat 2. Gazelle District Development Authority 3. Rabaul District Development Authority 4. Mr. Sam Manikot for his perseverance and dedication to Rabaul Tuna Processing Zone since 2018 5. United Church Regional Office and our Private Investors 6. The Group CEO of ENBDC and Executive Chairman for their advice and direction in realigning the two impact project for the province. As Minister for Gazelle Open, I thanks the Team that has enable these project to come this far. This is the beginning of a new direction for East New Britain Province and the New Guinea Islands Region. I thank God for His inspiration and Direction enabling us to realize this project. May God bless East New Britain and our Nation of Papua New Guinea.

The Department of Treasury has initiated an internal investigation to identify the person or persons involved in leaking the National Executive Council Decision No. 329/2021. Secretary Vele said “Section 23A subsections (5) and (6) of the Prime Minister and National Executive Council Act 2002 makes it a serious disciplinary offence under the Public Services (Management) Act 1995 and the Public Service General Orders.” The Department of Information and Communications Technology has also been notified of the breach and will commence its own processes with social media providers to identify the source of the post. “This is unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour of any officer and Treasury will act swiftly and decisively. The elected Government must have the trust of the public service to act impartially for the good of the people and my officers must uphold this trust.” said Secretary Vele. “The design and management of the National Budget is the core responsibility of the Department of Treasury and any officer that seeks to undermine that responsibility will be dealt with.”

The altercation between Police officers and members of the Defence Force this week has left many questioning the integrity and discipline of the two forces and whether or not members of the disciplinary forces adhere to command from the top. Social media had a part to play in the events that unfolded over the weekend and boiled over on Monday between the two Forces. Members from both sides’ resorted to social media in their own way, either to instigate or incite violence, provocation, threatening and challenging authority which goes against everything the PNG Defence Force and the Royal PNG Constabulary stands for. During the joint press conference this week between Police and Defence, a question was put forward to both men – Police Commissioner David Manning and PNGDF Commander Major General Gilbert Toropo on what their respective organizations are doing to control how their members are using social media. Police Commissioner David Manning said social media has provided another set of unique challenges that they have to deal with and it’s also part of the modern challenges of being leaders. “The question of whether or not we are concerned about junior officers openly through social media challenging directives and the positions that the office of the Commissioner takes, is we are guided by our Police Force Act, we are also guided by our internal investigation processes and if I get frustrated by every nonsense posted on social media, I will be forced to deal with that on a day to day basis.” Commissioner Manning said one of the key areas of the Command and Control doctrine in the Force is self-discipline and it goes back to individual officers. “How you conduct yourself on and off duty pretty much keeps you relevant in your organization.” “We have not personally had a hand in every single member that has been brought on to our organization but we are stuck with them and we will deal with them.” Manning said he shares the same sentiment and concern with the public on how officers are behaving on social media, however the officers may not be aware of their own actions. Meanwhile PNGDF Commander Major General Gilbert Toropo mentioned similar challenges they are being faced with the service men and women on how they conduct themselves on social media. Toropo said PNGDF is currently working with the Department of Communication and Information to come up with a Social Media Policy that can act as guide to what the members should post and not post on social media.

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Papua New Guinea (ASFPNG) is not in favour of a recent NEC decision to introduce a banking levy as part of the Income Tax Act to collect K190 million per annum. This decision will affect Bank South Pacific Group (BSP), the largest bank in PNG and the Pacific, of whom, superannuation funds on behalf of ordinary workers and tax payers are major investors/shareholders. The imposition of this new banking levy will result in a decline in profitability, dividend payments to shareholders and a decline in BSP’s share price. This is a double blow for superannuation funds as annual crediting rates for members will be affected by lower revenues and portfolio balances. K190 million represents between 2 to 3% annual crediting rate for the major Funds. Superannuation funds have benefitted from strong dividend payments and capital gains due to the strong performance of BSP over the years. Ultimately members of the Superannuation Funds, are the losers. This is unfair. BSP provides a lot of community service obligations in PNG and operates branches in non-profit making areas throughout the country. Will we expect them to close down such branches to adjust to this draconian imposition. Will we expect new costs to be passed on to the bank’s customers and depositors to make up this new tax? Will depositors be discouraged to keep their savings in BSP? Will potential new customers be turned away? These are questions we would like answered as they directly impact BSP’s performance, and that of the Superfunds. There has been no consultation with us as an industry and we suspect with other key stakeholders within the broader community. We are cognizant of the Government’s endeavours to raise more revenue internally and will support initiatives that achieves this objective BUT not at the expense of our members, the ordinary workers of this country who are already doing it tough. Retirement savings with the Super Funds are the only real means of financial protection workers have. PNG does not provide a social security safety net for its citizens unlike Australia for instance. The Super funds fill this vacuum. Any government decision that lessens the prospect for growth and investment returns is not in the best interest of our members. We ask that Government withdraw this decision and allow time for wider consultation.

Athletes from around the country are arriving in Kimbe this week for the second part of the PNG Air Athletics Grand Prix series. The competition will serve as a useful lead up to the PNG Air National Championships which will also be held in Kimbe , from Dec 3 to 5. With local competition programmes having been affected by venue closures this year the Grand Prix has provided valuable competition opportunities for the national squad. The focus will be mostly on track events this weekend with the only field events being  a mens  long jump, mens and womens  high jump and mens javelin. The throws group being coached by Paul Bannister in Port Moresby are making up for lost training time this week and are focusing on the National Championships, as are a couple of PNG’s elite hurdles  athletes Adrine Monagi and Daniel Baul. The events will be hand timed this weekend, however electronic timing and photo finish system will be in operation at the National Championships Eleven members  of Nelson Stone’s Team Nest of 16 athletes will arrive in Kimbe today to compete in the Grand Prix events which are to be spread over three short sessions on  Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Sunday morning. The middle and long distance athletes who have been training in Kerowagi and at Utmei Secondary are already in Kimbe along with Morobe athletes Edna Boafob and Isaac Kambuka. With many top sprinters overseas these competitions are an opportunity for the next crop of young sprinters to show what they can do, and these include  Paias Wisil and Jobbie Kinzu from NSI, local athlete Graham Bai, and Chabbie Solomon from NCD. A good mens long jump competition is expected with PNG Reps Eldan Toti and Karo Iga, 2017 PNG Games champion Rocka Manau and young talent Kenneth Harrison all in the field. Mary Tenge and Scholastica Herman are expected to feature strongly in the 3000m, with Aina Goir and Ongan Awa also aiming for a good showing. Whilst the Grand Prix events are principally for the National Squad athletes, local athletes from WNB will be invited to fill up available lanes in track events. Additional events will also be available for the local athletes to take part in on Saturday and Sunday. Athletics PNG President Tony Green thanked the West New Britain Provincial Administration for their support in allowing the events to proceed and for the logistical support provide through the Sports Division and venue management. He urged local teachers who missed out on the Technical officials training in September to take the opportunity to attend next weeks Oceania Athletics Training Course for Officials which will be delivered by Philip Kamane and Lazarus Bureng. APNG will also be delivering an OBAS Coaching Course from 7 to 10 December in Kimbe.