Work is progressing into the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) with the second meeting for this year held by the ICAC Appointments Committee in Port Moresby on Wednesday 26 January 2022. Prime Minister Hon. James Marape called attention to the absolute need for the Government to address the “cancer of corruption” in the country and hastened the Committee to immediately move the process along before Parliament rose for the National General Elections this year. Hosted by the Department of Justice & Attorney General (DJAG) at its WNB Haus office and chaired by the Prime Minister, the meeting discussed the composition of the Commission, its check and balance and administrative mechanisms, its reporting structure, and various other administrative and legal requirements, including recruitment for its composition. Prime Minister Marape also pointed out the Undisclosed Wealth Act and the Whistle Blowers Act – the supporting legislation that will assist to operationalise the work of the Commission when it is up and running. A very stringent process has been agreed to by the Committee, details of which will be released at a later date when the Commission is ready to launch. These efforts by DJAG continue at the back of a record number of legislation sponsored by the department and passed by Parliament last and this year which have contributed to an improvement in PNG’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by Transparency International, report of which was released recently. ICAC Interim Chairman Thomas Eluh, while providing a brief, said PNG has dropped from 142nd placing out of 180 countries to 126th place in the 2021 Corruption Perception Index. "This is a massive drop in one year, highlighting the positive and strong efforts of the Marape Government in tackling rampant corruption in the country, " said Eluh. "The full operationalisation of ICAC will further improve PNG’s grading on the CPI." Prime Minister Marape encouraged the Appointment Committee, the ICAC team, DJAG and other integrity organisations to strive to reduce PNG's ranking on the CPI to double digits, adding that the 2021 CPI ranking is very encouraging for the Government and the country. He also urged DJAG to use the three years before the country turned 50 in 2025 to strengthen the legislative and administrative mechanisms to “clean up the country” in time for the Golden Jubilee celebrations. The meeting was attended by the Chief Justice Gibbs Salika, ICAC Interim Chairman Thomas Eluh, Attorney-General Dr Eric Kwa, and various key members of DJAG.

COVID 19 cases in the country, especially the Omicron variant is expected to surge within this month until March as the National Control Centre awaits the results of COVID samples collected this month and sent to Melbourne, Australia for testing. Deputy Controller of the National Pandemic Response Dr Esorom Daoni sounded the warning yesterday during the COVID 19 virtual press conference in Port Moresby. “With low testing rate, low vaccination rate, people not conforming to the COVID protocols, not wearing proper mask and no physical distancing, we are confident that the Omicron variant will become very dominant very soon because of our behaviour,” Dr Daoni said. “Most of the past surges in the country resulted from major national events and so we are confident that after the Christmas break and the gathering and partying activities, we are expecting a surge between now and March. “From the samples that we sent in December to Melbourne, we got only one case of Omicron variant and two cases of Delta variant.” “On Monday this week, we sent 66 samples and we’re expecting the results to be back early next week.” Dr Daoni said the Omicron variant is highly transmissible and a lot of its patients will require hospital admission. He said the vulnerable groups are the frontline essential workers, people with comorbidities and old people. “So, we will be calling up the Provincial Health Authorities next week to see how prepared they are as we head into the next months.”

This Circular is to inform all staff and the General Public that Port Moresby General Hospital is experiencing 4'h COVID 19 surge indicated by the  rising number of covid- 9 positive cases recorded since the 21st of January 2022. All Coordinators, Managers, Supervisors and staff are hereby instructed to liaise with your respective sections in preparation as we enter into this 4’h surge, particularly with regards to escalation of our surge response plans. COVID-19 Representatives from respective divisions are advised to effectively coordinate through the PMGH COVID-19 Steering committee with regular meetings effective Thursday 27’^ January 2022. I urge all staff and the public to adhere to strict COVID-19 Niupela Pasin Measures as we continue to closely monitor this ever-evolving Covid-19 pandemic on our shores.

The SP PNG Hunters have officially announced their 26-man playing squad that will travel to Australia and compete in the 2022 Hostplus Cup competition. Head Coach Matthew Church announced the squad today and expressed his excitement for the season ahead: “It is my absolute pleasure to announce the final squad of 26 for the upcoming 2022 season. We have an exciting mix of returning and new players from PNG’s premier Rugby League competition the Digicel Cup, and there is a real hunger within the group to perform, challenge each other and strive towards a better season in 2022. Church also confirmed the SP PNG Hunters’ leadership model for the 2022 season: “I am proud to announce that Keven Appo (2021 vice-captain) steps up alongside Ila Alu (2021 captain) to be co-captains of the Hunters in 2022. They will be joined in a leadership group with 2022 vicecaptain Brandon Nima. All three players have been dominant voices throughout an encouraging preseason.” This will be the second year that the SP PNG Hunters have relocated from Papua New Guinea to Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast in order to compete in the QRL competition. Church acknowledged the added difficulty but says his squad is motivated to perform. “Last year presented plenty of challenges, none more so than many of the Hunters’ players living in a new country for the first time. Like most first time adventures, you can't expect to always get things right and we’ve taken confidence from lessons learnt in 2021. Season 2022 has the promise to be better still.” “On behalf of the playing squad and staff, I would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of our sponsors, partners and stakeholders that make all this possible. Without your support we couldn’t do what we love and that is represent you all and PNG in the best light. To the families of the Hunters’ players and staff, thank you for supporting them on this journey. To everyone across PNG, please stay safe. We take great honour in representing you all and aim to bring you pride every time we play in 2022.” SP PNG Hunters’ 2022 official 26-man playing squad: Terry Wapi, Solo Wane, Brandon Nima, Gilimo Paul, Judah Rimbu, Ila Alu, Samuel Yegip, Sylvester Namo, Dilbert Isaac, Jordan Pat, Keven Appo, Emmanuel Waine, Benji Kot, Matthew Jesse, Liam Joseph, Rodrick Tai, Mark Tony, Jamie Mavoko, Casey Dickson, Anthony Worot, Sherwin Tanabi, Francis Kembis, Kingstimer Paraia, Wesa Tenza, Junior Rop, Kitron Laka.

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has reiterated the importance of technical and vocational training in the country. He said this today (January 25 2022) when announcing higher and technical education reform initiatives supporting the Papua LNG Project and other major upcoming developments in the petroleum and mining sectors. These are: • Generational reforms in quality assurance, regulation and compliance; • Working closely with our development partners; • A National Skills Development Plan (NSDP) which was launched last Friday (January 21 2022); • National Labour Market Survey (NLMS); • Stronger engagement with business and industry; and • Industry-funded Higher Education Institution (HEI) places for eligible Grade 12 school leavers. “Technical and vocational training is an integral part of the higher education sector,” PM Marape said. “Technical and vocational training is also critically important in skills development and in fostering science, technology and innovation, driving the application, adaptation and use of new technologies. “A skilled workforce with the capacity to replace current large numbers of migrant workers at the lower end of the PNG National Qualification Framework (NQF) has significant sustainable benefits to the PNG economy and community.” PM Marape said the Government’s lead agency for higher and technical education, Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology (DHERST), now had the regulatory power and oversight to provide a positive regulatory framework that reduced barriers and changed the incentives for both the private sector and training providers. “This is very timely as Government and Industry Partners collaborate on the successful rollout and implementation of the Papua LNG Project and related upscaling of other commercial projects across other industry sectors,” he said. “Government regulation of the skills sector has traditionally focused on supply side technical training with a serious disconnect between the training undertaken and its relevance to industry. “Thankfully, that ‘disconnect’ and out-dated regulatory approach is of the past. “The recent transfer of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to DHERST marks a significant turning point in the operation and performance management of these institutions as part of the Higher and Technical Education reforms. “DHERST has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Total Energies Ltd, one of the world’s largest Energy and Petroleum companies, now pivoting strongly to renewable technologies. “DHERST and Total Energies are collaborating to undertake joint activities and leverage their comparative advantage to develop solutions which create positive economic and social value for the people of Papua New Guinea. “To develop and upskill Papua New Guineans, Total Energies are collaborating with DHERST on human resource initiatives that shape both the quality of education received and the capacity of the PNG’s workforce; as well as supporting Total Energies’ ability to access such skilled workers to support the human resource needs of the Papua LNG Project. “Working across partner networks, there are mutual benefits for improving the productivity and competitiveness of PNG’s present workforce in ways that deliver economic and social value. “It is Government’s hope that other large corporate and multinational companies, as well as SMEs, will follow Total Energies’ lead in partnering with DHERST across a range of education and research initiatives.”

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape says the Government has allocated K65.1 million in the 2022 Budget to the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) to continue supporting students who need financial assistance. He said this today (January 25 2022) when giving an update on higher education in the country. “This Government is fully-committed to ensure quality education is accessed by all students in an affordable manner,” PM Marape said. “The HELP is a signature programme introduced by my Government in 2019 when we took office, and was first implemented in 2020 “This is a loan scheme for the students who cannot afford school fees in tertiary institutions. “It has been managed and coordinated by the Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology (DHERST). “The HELP remains a successful programme since its inception in 2020.” PM Marape said the programme would generate its first dividends in 2022 when the first post-graduate students who had applied last year (2021), and would graduate this year (2022), commence repaying the loan. “The dividends will be saved in what is called Higher Education Endowment Fund,” he said. “This facility will generate return and in turn self-sustain the programme in the long run.” PM Marape commended DHERST Acting Secretary Dr. Francis Hualupmomi, who under the political leadership of Minister Hon. Wesley Raminai, had introduced new mechanisms to transparently manage the HELP. “Dr Hualupmomi has extended the HELP to post-graduate students in 2021,” he said. “This decision will now result in payment of first dividends by the working class post-graduate students.” PM Marape said another important positive outcome was an increase in spaces available for 2022 school-leavers. “The number of spaces available for Grade 12 school-leavers in all tertiary institutions in the country has increased from 11,000 in 2021 to 15,171 in 2022,” he said. “This is largely attributed to a participation of some new institutions in the higher and technical education system in the country. “Technical education is another of my Government’s policy initiatives in skilling up the labour force for the upcoming extractive industry projects.”

St Barbara has recently delivered two major projects at its Simberi Operations without a lost time injury (LTI). The construction team, inclusive of St Barbara employees and contractors, achieved over 109,000 safe workhours in the projects. The multi-million-dollar projects included the Deep-Sea Tailings’ Placement (DSTP) pipeline and the ph monitoring system facility, which were constructed over three months without an incident. The projects form part of Simberi Operation’s sulphides extension, for which St Barbara is currently seeking an environmental permit. General Manager Randy McMahon described the excellent safety performance by the work crew as a safety milestone., Comparing it to a person’s work life, he said, “It’s like one person working for 52.4 years without an injury, it’s outstanding,” said Mr McMahon. Safety performance in the mining industry is calculated by multiplying the number of workers by the number of daily work hours by the number of days worked then dividing the total by the number of weekly hours worked by each person. Construction work started on 20 September 2021 and ended on 6 January 2022. Almost 100 pipeline specialists, engineers, technicians, tradespeople, and divers from Papua New Guinea and abroad had teamed up with St Barbara Simberi Operations teams to deliver the projects. The works included upgrades to the process of monitoring pH levels and the building and safe installation of a 540-metre DSTP line deep on the ocean floor. Meanwhile Mr McMahon, who was this month commenced as the new General Manager of Simberi Operations, was recently given keys to the island by the local chiefs and community members. In a an elaborate traditional Simberi ceremony, Mr McMahon was presented the traditional Mis – New Ireland Province’s traditional currency- symbolising his acceptance into the community. Mr McMahon and community leaders, including women and church representatives, agreed to continue working in close partnership with the mutual goal of securing royalties and other benefits for Simberians and the rest of the Tabar islanders. The communities of Simberi, Tatau and Big Tabar have recently given their full consent for St Barbara to extend mine life through the mining of sulphides. Sulphides’ mining will extend Simberi’s life for at least another 10 years. Application for the environmental permit for sulphides mining is currently being assessed by the Conservation and Protection Authority. The islanders are also currently reviewing Simberi’s Memorandum of Agreement with the company and the Mineral Resources Authority. St Barbara has delivered over K350 million worth of community and government benefits including royalties, income taxes and health and education support during13 years of oxide mining at Simberi.

Police Commissioner David Manning today said threats issued by certain people from the Hela province against the people of Gulf province will not be taken lightly. Mr Manning said the issuance of threats to cause physical harm or kill another person or destroy property is a crime and will be dealt with as such, regardless of the reasons. A group of people from the Hela province yesterday threatened to kill Gulf people if their K250,000 compensation demand over the fatal shooting of one of their tribesmen by police was not met. Mr Manning said, “I have issued instructions to police in the Gulf and Central provinces as well as the National Capital District to step up their police operations and presence within the various communities. “Further, the person or persons who issued the threats to kill Gulf people are to be arrested and dealt with. Such threats are totally unacceptable. We have laws and avenues such as the courts for aggrieved parties to go to if they so require instead of resorting to intimidation and threats of violence. “Our people need to respect each other and allow due process and the law to deal with whatever issues they have,” Mr Manning said. He said the death of the Hela man had nothing to do with the people of the Gulf province. “This was a police shooting and is now under investigation. Until then I will advise everyone to remain calm and not do anything irrational,” Mr Manning said.

Poro FC star striker Meagan Gunemba was not included in the 27-players squad due to personal reason. The squad was announced after completing their five-day camp at PNG Football Education Centre at 11-Mile outside Lae City recently. PNG Women Coach Nicola Demaine clarified some misunderstanding on the selection process of the women’s training squad stating that all women players will be given chance including Meagan Gunemba. Coach Demaine said talented women football players who missed out on first training camp still have a chance to put their hands up for selections by how they play in the upcoming Women National Soccer League. The 27 players who attended the training camp were: Georgina Bakani, Ramona Padio, Charlie Banzeck, Nenny Elias, Kesai Katome, Ramona Morris, Olive Upaupa, Marreerose Wadunah, Sagude Zale, Isabella Natera, Phylus Pala, Rayleen Bauelua, Yvonne Gabong, Lavinia Hola, Lucy Maino, Sonia Embahe, Sharlom Waida, Marie Kaipu, Sera Waida, Fidelma Watpore, Arnolda Dou, Faith Kasiray, Asaiso Gossie, Joanne Uttie, Sharlyn Jagi, Juaneth Mistera and Bridgit Paime Ms Demaine said she has seleted the players following a number of trials featuring players from inaugural Women National Soccer League. The players were flown into Lae from Port Moresby, Kimbe, Rabaul and Wewak while Lae, Madang and Ramu travel by road. PNG women coach is also looking at Papua New Guineans based overseas to ensure we take the strongest team possible to the OFC Nations Cup. The players were put through a full program with numerous fitness tests and tactical training sessions. A good mixture of experience and youth to ensure longevity of the program beyond the OFC nations cup. “It was really good to get the players together and see how they fit as a group. We are following in the footsteps of some amazing female players and took time at camp to understand the past success of the Papua New Guinea Womens National Team. “We are at a starting point, so the camp was as much about assessment as it was about learning tactics and habits that we want to take forward. “We made excellent progress this week in terms of who we want to be as a group and how we want to play. Each player put in a great effort and I was very pleased with what I saw,” she said. The 2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup is the pre-World Cup 2023 for the women’s national teams of the Oceanian region. It was originally scheduled from July to August 2022, but was moved to January and February 2022 to accommodate changes to the FIFA Women’s International Match Calendar. The OFC announced on 4 March 2021 that it was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and would take place from 5 to 31 July 2022. The tournament will serve as Oceania’s qualifiers to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. With New Zealand having already qualified automatically for the World Cup as a co-host, the best-placed team besides New Zealand will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs. The inter-confederation play-offs of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification will determine the final three qualification spots for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The play-off tournament will be used as a test event for Australia and New Zealand to host prior to the Women’s World Cup. It will take place from 17 to 23 February 2023,[1] and will feature ten teams split into three groups, with the winner of each group qualifying for the Women’s World Cup. Australia and New Zealand will also participate in friendlies against the teams in Group 1 and Group 2 of the tournament.

The family of 14-year-old Rex Wanzing who died on August 13, 2021 at the Port Moresby General Hospital following an eye operation have been left in the dark on the outcome of the investigation undertaken by the hospital management. Late Rex’s mother, Mrs Raela Wanzing told PNG Hausbung that the family has been waiting on their son’s death report ever since the toxicology results were released last year. “According to the hospital management, the report is with the Health Minister and the Prime Minister and we have followed up on that for three weeks now with the Health Minister but have received no good feedback,” Mrs Wanzing said. “Yesterday, I called the Health Minister again and told him that the family needs a closure on this now since he had been saying time and again to them that they will have a discussion first before releasing the report.” “He then directed me to the Health Secretary who said the decision will be made by the government based on the report and government advisors are currently assessing the report and will provide advice soon on their recommendations.” According to the Health Secretary Dr Osborne Liko, the report has been completed and submitted to the government on January 18, 2022. Port Moresby General Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr Paki Molumi at the time of Rex’s death said: “This unfortunate event, preliminarily believed to be related to the administration of a batch of anaesthetic, is being investigated by the PMGH clinical audit team. He said “To ensure that the root cause(s) is identified, an independent investigating committee with clear terms of reference will be sanctioned by the Minister of Health.“ The reference will be directed towards identifying the root cause(s) to clearly establish the exact cause of death. Prime Minister James Marape two weeks later in Parliament said the government has given full support to the investigation and its' outcome would be made known as soon as it was completed. Late Rex, of Morobe and Central Provinces origin was the third born in a family of four and was doing grade seven (7) at Carr Memorial Primary School at the time of his death.

BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) Daulo sub branch in the Eastern Highlands, has been robbed on Saturday 22 January 2022. This makes it the third incident in its 12 years of operations. BSP Management confirmed that on Saturday, criminals broke into the BSP sub branch and stole an estimated K12, 000 in cash along with banking devices. BSP Retail Deputy General Manager Sales & Customer Service, Peter Komon said, “this is the third time Daulo sub branch has been robbed. The last incident was in November 2021, less than 6 months ago, whilst the first incident happened in March 2011.” "BSP is the only bank operating in the Daulo electorate. It serves a population of nearly 50,000 people living in Lower and Upper Asaro, and Watabung. While we regret to inform the public of our decision to close the sub branch indefinitely, law and order issues such as this affects service delivery and at the same time disrupts economic development in the rural areas. To experience break-and-enter just 6 months since the last incident is uncalled for.” “The safety of our staff, branches and properties is a fundamental requirement for BSP to continue providing banking services in any community, especially in areas where, no other banks operate in." added Komon. Responding to this issue, BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming said, "BSP has experienced ongoing issues of criminal activities in the past which had disrupted its services to the respective areas. While banking services is an essential service aimed at increasing financial inclusion for rural people, BSP sub branches and agencies will only continue to operate in an environment where safety of bank assets and staff are guaranteed by the community concerned." While BSP apologises for the inconvenience this caused to its customers, we encourage them to use our Digital Banking platforms - Mobile Banking and Internet Banking for a safer and more convenient experience. The BSP Daulo sub branch is now closed until the criminals involved are apprehended and charged.

PRIME Minister James Marape led by example yet again sending a clear message to the people of Papua New Guinea that COVID-19 vaccinations were safe and available to all Papua New Guineans, and that his government was committed to ensuring that everyone who wants them – has access. The Prime Minister joined his fellow Members of Parliament Ministers Kerenga Kua and Jelta Wong and East Sepik Governor Allan Bird to receive the COVID-19 booster. “People the world over are lining up for booster shots and it is incumbent on my Government to give our people access to leading science and research in so far as COVID-19 vaccines are concerned. “The direction from the Pandemic Controller was clear, and was supported and reiterated by the Secretary for Health last week. The vaccines are here for our benefit – I urge all our people to get vaccinated,” said Prime Minister Marape. Meanwhile, Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Jelta Wong has received preliminary reports of an impending surge being experienced at the Port Moresby General Hospital with positivity rates over 50 per cent in the past week. Minister Wong advised that the surge was expected after large gatherings took place over the Christmas period. Minister Wong further reiterated that our best defense against COVID-19 is to practice the Niupela Pasin and get vaccinated.