Despite the challenges posed by venue closures and other covid restrictions ,Athletics PNG proudly and successfully staged the PNG Air National Track and Field Championships in Kimbe last weekend. Thanks to support from PNG Air and Team PNG sponsor Kumul Consolidated Holdings, APNG were able to fly all of their top PNG based athletes to the event to ensure that they all had a chance to stake their claim for a place in the National team next year.The standout athlete for the Men was Daniel Baul, who ran a blistering 47.1 seconds in his heat of the 400m. It was the equal second fastest hand-held time by any PNG athlete - joining Subul Babo and Baobo Duaba-Neuendorf on the All Time Best List. Daniel followed up this superb performance with a time of 47.5 in the final. Crossing the line shortly after Daniel were Adolf Kauba (48.6), Jobbie Kinzu (49.2) and Jonah Theo (49.4). With the strong showing at home, and in the US, the PNG Men’s 400m Relay Team looks to be in good shape for Saipan next year. In addition, Daniel Baul won the 100m Hurdles (15.4), 400m Hurdles (53.8) and the 200m (21.8) events. In the 200m final the placegetters were Terrence Talio (21.9) and Paias Wisil (21.9) making for an exciting tight finish to the race.Pre race favourite Baul ran very relaxed for the first 150m before sprinting past three athletes to claim the gold medal. Significant performances came from the middle and long distance men with George Yamak getting a personal best in the 1500m with a time of 4:02.1, moving him even closer to breaking the national record of 4:00.02 held by Sebastian Sena from 1997. Yamak’s time would have been good enough to win gold in this event in the 2019 Apia Pacific Games. Aquila Turalom was second with a significant personal best time of 4:04.9 which is five second improvement his previous best time of 4min 9 seconds that he recorded in Port Moresby in July Adolf Kauba was the winner of the 800m event in the time of 1:56.8 from Samuel Pai (1:57.5) and Aquila Turalom (1:58.4). Also running faster than the gold medal winning time in Apia was Siune Kagl who narrowly won the 5000m and 10000m metres from relative newcomer Dilu Goiye. Both Siune (33:12.7) and Dilu (33:14.6) were much faster than PNG’s gold medal winning time in Apia. PNG swept the medals in that race with Simbai Kaspar taking gold in 33:34.90. Kagl also won the 5000m narrowly from Dilu Goiye in the time of 15:43.9 which was faster than the gold medal time of 15:45.54 by Samuel Aragaw from French Polynesia. Dilu, also faster than the Apia gold medal winner had the time of 15:44.1.The Men’s Distance Programme is certainly producing good results. The Men’s sprints saw many fine performances from the domestic athletes. It must be remembered that many of the top PNG athletes are at present studying in the USA. The list of up-and-coming sprint contenders is large and impressive. Paias Wisil is carrying on the family name with his good win the 100m in the time of 10.5 seconds. He narrowly won from Chabby Solomon (10.6), Terrence Talio (10.7) and Graham Bai (10.7). Johnny Bai, the son of former champion and Pacific Games gold medal winner, Geoffrey Bai. Johnny a won the 400m event in the time of 52.1 seconds and also took out the U18 Mens 100m and won the open B division race in the 200m. In the field events one of the outstanding performances came from the national record holder in the Javelin – Lakona Gerega. His winning throw of 61.78m was not far from his record of 64.89m. In the jumps there were good contests between Eldan Toti and Karo Iga. Eldan won the Long Jump (6.83m) from Karo (6.54m) while in the High Jump Karo was the winner on countback with a height of 1.90m with the same height for Eldan. As expected, the standout performance for the women came from Toea Wisil who won the 100m in the time of 11.5 seconds. Behind her came Edna Boafob (12.20) and Adrine Monagi (12.30). Toea withdrew from the 200m and 400m finals with a sore knee but showed that she still is the best in the Pacific Islands – by a wide margin. In the absence of Toea, Edna was the winner of the 200m in the time of 25.7 seconds, from Adrine Monagi (26.0) and Serah Neuendorf (26.4). Serah had a busy programme competing in the 100m, 200m, 400m 100m Hurdles and 400m Hurdles. Adrine Monagi was a clear winner in the 100m Hurdles in the time of 14.8 seconds. In the 400m Edna Boafob won a tight race in 58.30 seconds from Serah Neuendorf (59.80) and young Patricia Kuku (60.1) who was the standout performer of the large WNB team. In the middle-distance events Scholastica Herman won both the 800m (2:28.0) and the 1500m (5:11.50). The most successful distance runner was Ongan Awa with convincing wins in the 5000m (20:17.9) and the 10000m (43:46.8). National Record holder Sharon Toako won the Discus with a throw of 36.89m and the holder of the National Record for the Hammer Throw, Jackie Traverts won her event with the distance of 30.12m. Vivian Tutuai was a double winner with good performances in the Long Jump (4.57m) and the Triple Jump (10.25m). By holding the National Championships in Kimbe, it was a wonderful opportunity for many of the local WNB athletes to compete and stake their claim to representative teams in the future. PNG is lucky to have such a great venue as the Sasindran Muthuvel Stadium in Kimbe.

With the PNG Electoral Roll Update exercise further deferred to December 2021 and January 2022, Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) is now calling the PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC) and the 22 Provincial Administrations across PNG to urgently establish active Provincial Election Steering Committees (PESCs). In a statement, TIPNG stated that proper arrangements need to be put in place now to avoid the risk of excluding a large segment of unregistered and first-time voters wanting to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming 2022 National General Elections. TIPNG has carried out provincial election awareness and community outreach and when in the various provinces, it learnt that with only 20 weeks remaining before the scheduled issue of writs for the 2022 National Elections, a majority of provinces have yet to establish functioning PESCs. TIPNG Board Chairman Peter Aitsi said according to Section 3 of the PNGEC terms of reference for Provincial Elections Steering Committees, PESCs are established for the purpose of “building local capacity and coordinating resources across government to assist the PNGEC in planning and delivery of the elections in the province, including electoral roll maintenance and community awareness.” Apart from key government departments within a province, a functioning PESC must also include at least one representative from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Chamber of Commerce, and Churches within the province. “The role of effective PESCs within the scope of national election coordination is absolutely crucial. It is very concerning to learn that with only five short months remaining before the issue of writs, many provinces are still a long way from where they need to be in terms of coordination and preparedness. Furthermore, the ongoing delay to the electoral roll update exercise is very concerning. More effective collaboration between government and other key community stakeholders is crucial if we are to deliver a successful election, and the PESC is currently the most effective framework for facilitating this collaboration.” He further added that the effectiveness of the PESC model has been clearly demonstrated in examples such as the East New Britain (ENB) PESC. “Earlier this year the need for additional resources was identified and arrangements were made to provide these resources through the Provincial Administration.” ENB has since completed updating its provincial electoral roll and is now ready for the next phase of the National General Elections in 2022. Other provinces such as Milne Bay have now proposed the use of updated ward registry data to speed up the Electoral Roll update exercise within the province.” “While the timeframe is less than ideal, we believe that there are ways that we can make a comprehensive roll update possible. PESCs need to be a lot more active in convening and assessing the opportunities available to them in their respective provinces, and acting on these opportunities for the sake of our people. The conduct of the elections is not the sole responsibility of the PNGEC. We must all play our part and take ownership of this democratic process, to ensure a better future for our people and our communities.”

The Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) has announced its decision on the Authorization Application by Santos Limited for its proposed acquisition of shares of Oil Search Limited. ICCC Commissioner and CEO, Paulus Ain said that after taking into consideration Santos’ authorization application and submissions including comments from relevant stakeholders and available market information, the ICCC noted that the acquisition of Oil Search by Santos will not seriously harm competition in any markets in PNG. Mr. Ain stated that it was important to state in the beginning the relevant law and the requirements of the law that the ICCC applied when making its decision and that this would help the public to appreciate the decision of the ICCC which is also based on its findings. He said Section 81 of the ICCC Act requires that the ICCC must be notified of a proposed merger or acquisition if it would cross either of the two mandatory notification thresholds being– 1. If the transaction value of the proposed merger or acquisition exceeds K50 million or 2. If the proposed merger or acquisition is likely to result in a market share increase of 50% or more of the acquirer. “This particular transaction crosses the transaction value threshold; hence Santos has rightfully notified the ICCC.” Mr. Ain added. The Commissioner further explained that once an authorization notification is lodged with the ICCC, the law requires that the ICCC must grant the authorization permitting the transaction to proceed, if it is satisfied that – 1. the acquisition will not have the effect, or will not be likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition in a market, or 2. although the acquisition will have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market, it will result in net public benefit. “If either of the above are not satisfied, the ICCC must decline to authorize the acquisition.” The law also stated that if the first requirement is met, then it is not necessary for the ICCC to make assessments on the second requirement (on net public benefit). In such instances, a clearance must be granted under the authorization process. Mr. Ain said that the ICCC was satisfied that the Proposed Acquisition will not have, or will not be likely to have, the effect of substantially lessening competition in any market in PNG; hence this passes the first requirement. Therefore, the ICCC gave a Clearance for the proposed acquisition to proceed.” “The reason for this conclusion was that whilst Santos does not operate any major projects in PNG, it does have interests in various oil and gas projects in PNG and this is through joint venture arrangements.” “On the other hand, Oil Search has physical presence in PNG and operates various oil and gas projects and produces associated gases (natural gas) and crude oil from its oil fields. For Santos, there is no information suggesting that it does produce natural gas and/or crude oil in PNG.” “There is also no information suggesting that Santos directly competes with Oil Search in any projects in PNG. Therefore, the ICCC has considered that there is no real overlap in the business activities of Santos and Oil Search that can possibly raise any serious competition concerns in any markets in PNG if this acquisition proceeds.” Mr. Ain added that whilst this proposed acquisition is a huge transaction (in terms of monetary value), as far as the ICCC Act is concerned, it has satisfied the Clearance Test. The ICCC, therefore, gave Clearance on the 7th December, 2021 for the proposed acquisition to proceed.

There have been reports of possible climate change refugees in Manus Province and the provincial administration has taken the task to establish these reports and provide statistics. Manus Provincial Administrator Oka Nungu told PNG HausBung that the recent king tides in the province have caused noticeable destruction to island and coastal communities and the possibility of displaced people is high. Since Tuesday, the Provincial Disaster Committee comprising of all the heads of the provincial government divisions have met to discuss their response pending the rapid assessment teams’ report. [caption id="attachment_17491" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Photo credit: Rudolf Kisabai.[/caption] “Obviously, there could be and there may be but we have no information to actually confirm if there are any (refugees) at this time,” Mr Nungu said. “But as soon as we get our team out, we’ll confirm if there are actually people being displaced following the king tide. However, Mr Nungu added that a corporate society group had assisted in providing fuel for a displaced family to move to town to shelter with their family members following the destruction to their home. He also stated that a State of Emergency call is imminent but will be done so after the assessment report. [caption id="attachment_17498" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Photo credit: Luke Semoso[/caption]

Southern Papua New Guinea is currently experiencing the La Nina weather pattern and will be experiencing more rainfall in the coming months. National Weather Service Acting Director Jimmy Gomoga told PNGFM News, the provinces that will be affected include Western, Gulf, Central, NCD, Milne Bay and Northern Provinces. Gomoga said La Nina is an extreme phase of a naturally occurring climate cycle when the ocean surface temperatures is cooler than normal in the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean creating low-pressure zones that contribute to increased rainfall. He added that the affected region will also be experiencing severe thunderstorms and lightning. Meanwhile he also warned people of the dangers associated with the rainy season including flooding and slippery road conditions as well as falling trees and power poles.

The delay in accessing funds has caused the Manus Provincial Administration to dispatch rapid assessment teams out to the province two days after the king tidals hit the province. Manus Provincial Administrator Oka Nungu told PNG Hausbung that 12 teams sent out today to the 12 Local Level Governments in the province will assess three important issues including food and water security as well as the amount of destruction. He said initial reports from communities stated that all the atolls, coastal and island communities around the province have been severely affected on Monday. “The teams were dispatched today after all the heads of respective divisions in the Provincial Government called an Emergency Meeting yesterday to plan on our response to the emergency,” Mr Nungu said. “The team will be back by Friday with the assessment report and from there we will submit the report to the Provincial Executive Council to assist with funds to meet the immediate needs of the people.” He added that if one-third of the communities are affected, then they will call on the National Government to declare a State of Emergency in the province. “From initial reports, about one-third of the communities were affected and if that is confirmed by the report, then we would call on the National Government to declare a State of Emergency in the province because we don’t have enough funds.” So far there has been no report from the National Disaster Office or the National Government on the current issue in Manus.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last Friday will pave the way to strengthen referral pathways for children accessing services at safe house often with their mothers experiencing family and sexual violence. In a small yet significant ceremony, Office of the Child and Family Services with Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council’s Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (CIMC/FSVAC) signed the strategic instrument to better assist women and children in safe houses. Under the MOU, the two partners will deliver key trainings to empower and upskill safe house workers majority of whom are volunteers for a period of 12 months. The MoU was signed by OCFS deputy director and program coordinator, Mr Otto Trur, CIMC executive officer Mrs Wallis Yakam and FSVAC National Coordinator Marcia Kalinoe in Port Moresby. This symbolic event also marked the conclusion of a three-day Volunteer Child Protection training for 15 frontline workers who came from safe houses in Port Moresby, Lae and Goroka particularly from the House of Hope, Lifeline, Foursquare, City Mission, Adventist Workers and Femili PNG. The partnership will bring together like minded partners to train the safe house staff on Lukautim Pikinini Act (LPA) and Community Child Protection Volunteers (CCPV), Early Child Care Development (ECCD), Emergency Response on Children, Child Protection Case Management, refresher training for Child Protection Officers (CPOs) in the safe house pilot provinces, Entry Point of a Survivor and Primero (an open-source software system designed to help GBV and Child Protection service providers securely and safely collect, store, manage, and share data) training. CIMC Executive Officer Wallis Yakam was grateful to the government for partnering with civil society actors to improve access to support services for Gender Based Violence (GBV) survivors. “We are achieving extra milestones by equipping you with extra skills, hopefully this training extents to other centers. We need partnerships and collaboration among likeminded organisations such as this as, the problem is too big for anyone organization to deal with”, Mrs Yakam said. “How do we move forward, one of them is the laws that we have and the referral pathways” “Many of our survivors do not know where to start in terms of reporting, some of them are scared and traumatized”. “So we have to put in more awareness of the referral pathways that we develop, so that entry point has to be made aware to survivors and everybody out there”. Mr Trur explained that for Lukautim Pikinini Act 2015 and other relevant Acts to be fully implemented thus “we need to train our officers especially the child protection officers as well as partners and child protection volunteers”. Given that International day of Disability Mr Trur acknowledge that LPA 2015 covers provisions on children with disability and that Community Child Protection Volunteer (CCPV) are trained on this aspect.

63 unclaimed bodies at the Port Moresby General Hospital mortuary will be buried today in a mass burial. Among the bodies are nine children, 54 adults and 11 body parts. These bodies are from the month of March and April which have been put on notice for relatives to collect, however only a few of them were claimed by relatives. Director for Medical Services at the Port Moresby General Hospital Dr Kone Sobi said it's unfortunate that a mass burial has to take place especially in a Melanesian country where we bury our own. "It's not our Melanesian way when we don't pick our loved ones body and take them away for a peaceful and decent burial." Dr Sobi said as bad as it looks, it's a relief to the mortuary with the overcrowding situation they are experiencing in the morgue. It is understood that NCDC has engaged a contractor to carry out the mass burial. The bodies are currently being loaded into the coffins at the morgue area while another burial team is at the 9 Mile cemetery preparing the burial plot.

PAPUA New Guineans across the length and breadth of the country should expect quality healthcare service delivery “within an hour’s reach” by the Year 2030, Prime Minister James Marape has said. The Prime Minister issued this directive to the Department of Health, especially the Health Secretary and the heads of the Provincial Health Authorities (PHA), as he summarised the National Health Plan 2021 – 2030 before launching it in Port Moresby this week. With the Health sector receiving one of biggest slices of the budgetary pie at 11 percent in next year’s budget (the highest to date since Independence), PM Marape did not mince his words when he told the PHA heads that this was “not an academic plan” and that they must “connect the dots”, absorb the plan, and begin executing it. He said: “I summarise the plan into this – a quality health system and facilities must be within reach in an hour by walking, by boat, by vehicle, or by a plane for our people wherever they are in the country. “Health is our people’s fundamental right; it is our moral responsibility to provide good health care to our people." Along the same vein, the Prime Minister said he didn't want to see any more "medical tourists to Singapore, Philippines or elsewhere by 2031". He continued: “PHAs heads, I come to you because you stand beneficiary in the devolution of functions that already is being transferred to you. As you sit in on your PHAs, the Health Secretary does not know who is living one hour away or two hours away from the aid post or the health centre. It is you. “Health is our peoples’ fundamental right. That is why we have given you a greater allocation this year when Covid-19 exposed a total deficiency we have inherited in our health care system. “A country with only 200 ICU beds is totally shocking for us. A nation of 8 million people having 200 ICU beds right across the country is not something that we can be proud of.” The Prime Minister also made it clear to the PHAs to “stay away from the K15 million" allocation earmarked for provincial hospitals, while the departments of Health and National Planning & Monitoring worked on a more practical, watertight, and comprehensive programme for PNG's hospitals. These new programmes are being worked out with the support of a development partner for 22 modern hospitals for the country. “So we must make strategic interventions synchronised with my view that all hospitals, health centers and community aid posts must be one hour within walking distance or by a mode of transport for our citizens for necessary reliable health care within their reach for any level of health needs," the Prime Minister said. With the spotlight on Health beginning next year, PM Marape said this would continue over the years with similar allocations in every budget till 2030 even if he didn’t return as head of the country. The launch of this, the 7th National Health Plan since Independence, comes exactly a week after the passing of the 2022 National Budget, which is projected to set Papua New Guinea’s feet on the road to debt-recovery by the Year 2027. Also with a forecast of a K200 million economy by the Year 2030, the 7th National Health Plan has received the direct design oversight of the Prime Minister to add value to the overall economic goal as, he said, “a healthy population means a healthy economy”. Health is receiving K2.8 billion in the 2022 National Budget, or 11 percent of the expenditure – the highest to PNG health since Independence. Among significant areas worth highlighting is the allocation of K50 million toward the cancer facility at the Port Moresby General Hospital - another first within the health sector budget. Besides this is the creation of 5,000 positions for additional health care workers which the Department of Personnel Management is now facilitating. This would later be migrated into the permanent structure. PM Marape also highlighted areas within Health that also needed immediate attention beginning next year, including medical research and the elevation of the standard of the PNG medical board to nothing less than “world class”.

Trukai Industries recently donated a Village Sustainability Kit (VSK) to a farmer in Tubuserea under its Small Holder Rice Development Program. Dickson Oroni from Noutubuwa clan in Tubuserea had been a farmer for 20 years before Trukai came on board to support him with a startup kit to expand his rice farm. He was humbled by the support that Trukai had given to assist with his farming which he planned to cultivate more land and recruit members of his community. “I would like to thank Trukai for supplying me with this kit which I will share with my entire community and other local farmers where we can engage unemployed youths to work with us,” said Oroni. Oroni’s technical knowledge and with his understanding of modern technology used in the farming industry was one of the reasons why Trukai decided to support him. Gathered at the small ceremony were Tubuserea Village leaders and members of their community. Trukai’s Rice Development Manager Aina Davis urged the villages to work in partnership with Trukai and the government to set up local rice farms that will contribute to establish local rice production in PNG. “Indeed rice is a staple food for Papua New Guineans but it is not a staple crop, that is why Trukai has been doing a lot of work to promote local rice production,” said Davis. Trukai has distributed VSKs to genuine irrigation farmers since 2011 under its various rice development programs. Through its Small Holder Rice Development Program, Trukai offers support in terms of the Village Sustainability Kit, technical expertise and paddy market access. The VSK is supplied to genuine irrigation farmers and include a solar rice mill, a power tiller, manual seeders, a knapsack, sickles and rice seedlings. The technical expertise consists of formal and informal trainings, field demonstrations and training materials. Through the paddy market access support, Trukai will purchase surplus quality paddy from the farmers. The vision of this farming program by Trukai Industries is to support food security by maximizing local rice production in PNG.

Over 18,000 grade 12 students who sat for the National Examination this year will miss out on selections for Tertiary level of education. The Acting secretary for the Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology (DHERST) Dr Francis Hualupmomi confirmed that 29,463 students sat for this year’s national exam, however only 11, 000 can be accommodated at the Tertiary level. The existing tertiary institutions can only take up to 11,000 students and this has been the case for the past years with so many grade 12 students with good marks missing out on the career of study they chose. During the Higher Education Transition and Reform launching last week, the Prime Minister James Marape challenged the Department to create more space at the Tertiary level that can be able to cater for 30,000 students. Dr Hualupmomi said the main agenda on the current reform in the Department is to be able to provide alternatives for the huge number of grade 12 school leavers who miss out on selection due to limited space. “Every year we have 29,000 to 30,000 students and we only have 11,000 of these students who can access the higher learning institutions.” “So the Prime Minister has directed the Department to increase the 11,000 to 30,000 which we plan to execute.” The Acting Secretary said they are looking at investing into Digital Education as this is one area that has already evolved during the current COVID-19 pandemic which can be able create for more space in Tertiary institutions while complimenting the transition the Department is going through. The Grade 12 selection list will be released to the public on 21st of December while a 4-day grace period from the 14th-17th December will allow students to adjust their choices on their school leaver forms before final selections are made.

Australia has announced it will fund the construction of a new urban health clinic in the heart of Port Moresby. Delivered in partnership with the Motu Koita Assembly, NCD Provincial Health Authority, the National Capital District Commission and the local United Church, the new clinic will improve access to healthcare services for the Motu Koita community through the construction of a new health centre. The health clinic will be constructed in Hanuabada, National Capital District (NCD) on land allocated by the local United Church. Today, Australian High Commissioner, HE Jon Philp, joined representatives from the Motu Koita Assembly, United Church, NCD Provincial Health Authority and NCD Commission to break ground for the historic new project. “Australia is proud to build on our history of health care support to the people living in Motu Koita villages,” said the High Commissioner at the launch. “This partnership will deliver more accessible health services to more than 40,000 people in the local area, and particular improve maternal and child health with the construction of a new birthing suite.” Through this partnership, Australia is committing PGK25 million for the construction. Other partners will provide supporting staffing, equipment and resourcing for the new clinic. “As part of Australia’s COVID-19 emergency response, we recognise it is critical to strengthen health systems and capacity, and improve health facilities across the nation,” the High Commissioner concluded. The clinic will reduce villagers’ travel times to access health services. The new facilities will include comprehensive maternal and women’s health services, such as health screening, and will have tuberculosis treatment facilities, pathology, dental services, a pharmacy and staff accommodation on site. The National Department of Health and NCD Provincial Health Authority have been crucial in developing the new health centre’s scope and services to meet the needs of local communities. “The new clinic will enhance health care services within the local area and will help to alleviate overcapacity issues at nearby healthcare facilities, including the Lawes Road Clinic and Port Moresby General Hospital,” said the Minister for Health, the Hon Jelta Wong, MP. “Today, we thank the Australian Government for coming back to assist an old friend. We are rekindling a relationship that goes back more than 100 years,” said Hon Dadi Toka MBE, Deputy Governor the National Capital District and Chairman of the Motu Koita Assembly. “We also thank our key partners, the United Church and the National Capital District Provincial Health Authority for supporting this landmark health facility for the indigenous people of this city,” he continued. Construction for the clinic will commence in 2022 and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2023. Australia’s long standing health partnership with PNG is committed to supporting improved primary health care, through stronger health systems, and more efficient service delivery.