Prime Minister James Marape has welcomed Speaker of Parliament, Job Pomat’s decision to ask the Courts for clarification on the process of bringing to Parliament the Motion of Vote of No Confidence in the Prime Minister as per Section 145 of the Constitution. PM Marape who spoke during a press conference on Wednesday in light of the decision made by the Parliamentary Private Business Committee, to reject the latest motion filed by the Opposition on the basis that certain sections of the application had not been properly filled as per the requirements of parliamentary standing orders. This is the fifth attempt by the Opposition to lodge the motion which has been found to be erroneous in some way and PM Marape questioned as to why the Opposition was continuously making these basic mistakes. “The proposal to change Government is no lightweight matter." "It is a Constitutional matter of attempting to change a government mandated through elections.” “It has become apparent that for the fifth time in a row, the Opposition has made mistakes in filling a basic form according to the requirements of law and parliamentary standing order." "I am happy that the Speaker is going to the Courts to clarify himself because only the Courts will clear whether the Private Business Committee is right or wrong.” In addition, PM Marape said that Papua New Guineans must start questioning why the Opposition keeps failing to properly bring to Parliament the VONC motion. He also said the Opposition had been amply notified of the length of this session of Parliament and kept making mistakes, adding that it also failed to stop the adjournment as its final opportunity to pursue the motion because it lacked in numbers. “You don’t go fishing for numbers. You produce your numbers, stop the adjournment and change the course of the Parliament sitting." "Unfortunately, they did not have the numbers once again.” “To our people of Papua New Guinea, do not get caught up by the game being played by the Opposition because they do not have the numbers.” Meanwhile, amidst the looming Vote of No confidence against the government, PM Marape made a call to all those working in the public service must not be caught in politics but instead allow all politicians talk politics.

"Youth are the pillar of development and the change the country needs as they constitute the energetic population of this country." These were the words echoed by Mrs. Mileng, Deputy Director General of National Youth Development Authority during a recent graduation for, ‘Young Girls and Women Empowerment Program’ in partnership with Sinesine Yongolmugl District Development Authority (DDA) in Ku village, Simbu province. She said the government focuses on rural youth empowerment to change focus in some areas and prioritize youth development programs in the country because the rise and fall depends on young people; therefore appeal is made to all stakeholders to divert their focus on the youth space. Mileng attested that Sinesine Yongolmulg District is the first district in Simbu to establish District Youth Development Council in partnership with the DDA and has encouraged other districts for similar partnerships. Mitna Dua, the chairman of the Sinesine Yongolmugl Youth Development Council, thanked the National Youth Development Authority for the partnership that paved the way for the training and empowerment. He said the graduation signifies the beginning of the new era for the young girls and mothers in the district to ignite their skills. Along with the special occasion saw the donation of five new sewing machines from NYDA together with materials given to the young female trainees to venture into the sewing fashion business. Meanwhile, the training gave a total of 25 women the opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge and are now equiped and in a better position to market their skills to earn income.

PNG Air expressed how delightful they were to be a part of a significant milestone which saw on the 29th of April 2024, a proving flight landed at Mendi airport in Southern Highlands Province which was well received by the community. This saw three PNG Air aircraft in which flew into Mendi for the official opening of the new look Mendi airport and terminal over the weekend. The flight resumption comes after seven years of no service which forced the people of Mendi to travel to neighboring towns to catch flights to Port Moresby. This signifies a commitment to regional development and underscores the transformative power of strategic partnerships. PNG Air is honored to play a role in advancing socio-economic growth in Southern Highlands Province. This collaboration leverages PNG Air's air transport network to deliver tangible benefits to the people of the Southern Highlands Province. Meanwhile, flights will commence this Saturday on the 8th of June and operation of its flight to go to and fro from Mendi will take place once a week. PNG Air remains dedicated in providing the best possible travel experience for its passengers whilst connecting communities throughout Papua New Guinea. Furthermore, PNG Air is pleased to advise that purchasing of tickets can be made at any PNG Air Sales Office or online via, www.pngair.com.pg through its reservation portal or by calling the Call Centre on 16111 (Digicel toll free) or 7411 2644 (Telikom). PNG Air is now looking forward to welcoming onboard all its customers soon, as they continue to connect their domestic network across Papua New Guinea. PNG Air | Fly with Papua New Guinea's airline

Over 900 cocoa farmers from three districts in Morobe province recently signed a partnership agreement for a long-term boost of over a million kina. Farmer community groups from Huon Gulf, Markham and Nawaeb Districts made this sealed jointly partnership with the World Bank and PNG Government of PNG through the PNG Agriculture Commercialization and Diversification (PACD) Project Cocoa Component. The ten beneficiaries cluster groups are under Wia Trade as the lead partner; a nationally-owned company based in Nadzab, Morobe province owned by Doctor Joel Waramboi. Wia Trade Enterprises Limited is one of the eighteen successful lead partners in six provinces in the country that have been selected through a strict and lengthy evaluation process in adherence to the World Bank guidelines and requirement. The farmers met with the Cocoa Board team and PACD Cocoa Component Manager, Roland Kerina and team at the beginning of this month at the Wia Trade yard in Nadzab. In a small yet significant ceremony, Kerina congratulated Wia Trade and its farmers for their patience and preparedness of this project. The only process that is taking long is the World Bank process that the Project need to satisfy its requirement. “That process is done and now we are here to sign this agreement with you and this signing is the start of the implementation process.” Kerina further stated that the success of the project depends on the farmer’s team work and apart from the other projects that the project signed Wia Trade project is perfect case for diversification and commercialization. “This is because Wia Trade did not just get cocoa, coffee and other products from the farmer’s export to make money, but Wia Trade do value added interventions and projects such as the Erap coffee recently launched and diversified farming spices such as vanilla, ginger, nuts and cocoa powder.” The Partners were urged to fast track their setting up of Project Bank accounts in order for initial payments to be paid and implementation to commence. The funding will be transferred to the lead partner Wia Trade will channel down to the farmer groups through cocoa seedlings, tools, trainings and other opportunities in the farmer project plans. Meanwhile, Doctor Waramboi said that lead partner Wia Trade aims to deliver a successful cocoa project and as the managing director of this company leading the farmers all are committed building an economy and an industry. He said their project plan activities include is cocoa nursery where now the current seed bank caters 25, 000 cocoa seedlings, farmer tools, farmer quality management training and other capacity building trainings, combination solar dryers, rehabilitation of fermentation boxes and others. The main aim or objective of the project is to empower farmers identifying their various farmer needs and assisting them so that they earned money and sustain their families. Furthermore, the PACD project is funded through GoPNG loan funding from the World Bank. The Department of Agriculture and Livestock is responsible for the project and the Cocoa Board of PNG as implementing agency, covering the Cocoa Component.

The East New Britain Provincial Administration (ENBPA) has partnered with the PNG National Statistical Office (NSO) to roll out the 2024 National Census exercise in the province. This arrangement was materialised last week in Kokopo through a signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the ENB Provincial Administrator, Levi Mano and the NSO, represented by its National Census Director, Ms. Hajily Kele. The signed MOA will see the two government agencies collaborate in the census exercise through its budget, data sharing and asset. Kele said that though the national census is conducted every ten years, there have been queries from the ENB Provincial Administrator as to what can be done within the ten-year period. She urged everyone to participate, as per the theme of the 2024 National Census, ‘Be counted, No One Left Behind,’ and acknowledged the support from stakeholders: both domestic and international partners like the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the US Census Bureau. “The success of this 2024 National Census, hinges on the participation of every citizen of our country. ENBPA’s invitation for the NSO to sign the MOA, shows the level of ownership by the province, in terms of conducting the census.” “This is because the data comes back to the provinces to use.” She added that the provinces should take ownership of the data and use it for planning purposes. Meanwhile, Provincial Administrator, Levi Mano stated the National Census falls in the same year as the Local Level Government (LLG) Elections and thus people need to understand and differentiate between these two national events. “Common roll update is for the elections, while data collection in the Census exercise is for development purposes in the country.” He stressed that census is part of history and has been happening over the years to ensure the government knows it’s total population so that it can better cater for their basic needs. “We in East New Britain, we have a growing population and are facing a lot of issues, with law-and-order problems in the community and the state of the economy is not where it used to be in the past.” He also made a call to parents and leaders in the communities to play their part and ensure every person in their families and the community, is counted in this year’s national census exercise, set for next month, June. “The provincial government is committed to this program and the Provincial Executive Council recently approved additional funding, as requested by the NSO, for the program.” Furthermore, ENBPA supports the rollout of this program in the province, because quality and accurate data is needed for effective planning in East New Britain. Mano explained that the signed MOA with the NSO will pave way for training of officers to be carried out. The MOA signing was followed by a float program which began in Kokopo, then proceeded to Gazelle and Rabaul districts, to make awareness about the National Census within the urban centres and the rural communities.

For the past three weeks the Port Moresby General Hospital Emergency Department has seen a spike in a number of viral and acute febrile illnesses such as influenza like sicknesses, dengue, and high fever. Most of these patients admitted to the emergency ward present themselves with these sicknesses and viruses in which has seen over a hundred patients present themselves with similar symptoms and illnesses. According to Emergency Physician, Dr Mangu Kendino in an interview with PNG HAUSBUNG, some of these cases are caused by the recent change in weather whilst most are transmissible cases where one is likely to catch the virus from another due to close contact and lack of using preventive measures. “Acute febrile illness and other related complaints have contributed to three percent of the hospital’s Emergency Department presentations and that is generally between 150 to 200 plus patients.” With patients presenting symptoms of these viral illnesses, Kendino stated that they are then further tested and investigated to confirm cause of illness and with that, has seen a few have returned positive with dengue. In addition to this, Dr Kendino said that it would be advisable if some private health facilities could do further test for Influenza so that they can confirm and report cases to the disease surveillance arm of National Department of Health. She also stated that further examination along with gene-sequencing should be overseas to determine the specific viral strain. However, at the moment, these viral illnesses are to be treated for symptom relief. Meanwhile, Dr Kendino has urged everyone to take extra precaution and to take whatever means possible to avoid catching any viral illnesses. “If you do end up catching one of these viral illnesses, then do take fever-reducing medication, drink a lot of water, rest and also take multivitamin supplements if you can afford them.” Most of these patients who have presented themselves with symptoms of flu and dengue are both children and adults.

The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) has raised an amount of K204, 080.98 for Team PNG during its recent Prime Minister’s Corporate Golf Challenge at the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club. This saw a total of fifty teams registered in support of our national athletes who will be participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in July. The PM’s Corporate Golf Challenge is an annual fundraiser, hosted by the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee for Team PNG preparations towards major international games. The Golf challenge began in 1998 at the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club, and later spread to Lae in 2005. This year is the 26th year for PNGOC to host the prestigious event. The 2024 PM’s Golf Corporate Challenge top 7 Winners include: 1. Lane Lawyers 2. Oasis Pharmaceutical 3. Kumul Minerals Team 3 4. Kenmonk Ltd 5. PM’s Department 6. PNG Ports Sharks 7. Team Powi Star Printers received the award for Best Dressed team. Special guests were also present at the event including, France Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Guillaume Lemoine, Vice Minister assisting the Prime Minister, Minister for Mining, Muguwa Dilu, Out-Going President for PNGOC, Sir John Dawanincura, PNGOC Secretary General, Desmond Kaviagu, PNGOC staff and Team PNG partners and supporters. Out-Going President for PNGOC, Sir John Dawanincura, expressed his gratitude to all who supported in making the event a successful one. “As we close off a successful day at the PM’s Golf, I would like to extend my gratitude towards the following. Firstly, our good Prime Minister, James Marape.” “I would like to commend you on your continuous support towards the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee and Team PNG. Your contributions are highly appreciated.” “I also wish to acknowledge our partners for the PM’s Golf, the major event sponsor, the National, Ela Motors, Air Niugini, SP Brewery, , Media Partners, Coral Sea Hotels, Trophy Haus, Trukai Industries Limited, Theodist, Blue 7 Team, Vodafone. Not forgetting the Hole sponsors, Telikom, PNG Ports, Southern Cross Assurance.” Sir John concluded by stating that without the support, the day itself would not have been successful as it is now. He further thanked everyone and is now looking forward in continuing this partnership in the coming years. Furthermore, the next Prime Minister’s Corporate Golf Challenge will be held this Friday the 17th of May 2024. Registrations for teams in Lae are still open and fees are at K3, 000. The PNG Olympic Committee is encouraging teams of four people to register in support of Team PNG.

A month-long Joint Agency Spot Check Operation (JASCO) to check business houses in East New Britain province concluded as of last week Friday the 10th of May 2024. The JASCO was carried out by the following national agencies including: • Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) • Immigration Citizenship Authority (ICA) • PNG Custom Services • Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations • Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) • Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) • Royal PNG Constabulary (RPNGC) • PNG Power • Bank of PNG • ENB Division of Commerce • ENB provincial health authority (ENBPHA) IPA Officer in Charge of Investor Servicing and Promotion, Henry Bai, said that the operation that was carried out was authorised by the ENB Provincial Administration. He stated that the inspections were also aimed at raising awareness among the business community about the need to follow the national government's policies. “Each agency has its own checklists, so we went in together to do the inspections on companies in Rabaul, Kokopo and Kerevat.” “Prior to the operation, survey forms were handed out to firms in order to collect data on provincial investment trends.” “The form was primarily to know about what general activities they conduct, the investment and return that they earn and taxes that they pay.” “That is Database surveys in addition to spot checks.” Similar operations have also been carried out in West New Britain, Morobe, Milne Bay and New Ireland provinces. The team will be heading to Manus province in the coming months. In addition, the inspection resulted in the destruction of more than K1 million worth of condemned retail items on Friday, at the Butuwin Health Centre premises. The products were mostly expired items removed from shelves in shops in Kokopo, Kerevat and Rabaul towns. Bai said that after paperwork are finalised, the ENB enterprises that are determined to have violated rules and procedures while conducting business in the country may face prosecution. Meanwhile, ENB Provincial Advisor for the Commerce Division, Rosemary Murure, commended the efforts of the JASCO operation team. “This is the first ever major operation conducted in the province.” “We wish to see more of this in the coming years, so business continues to comply with the laws of this country.” She said that an agreement inked in 2018 has seen the successful collaboration between national agencies and the ENBPA to carry out the operation.

Digicel PNG Foundation has given up to K50, 000 each to twenty local civil society organizations across Papua New Guinea through its Community Grants Program. The K1 million worth of grants will support the selected organizations in delivering their projects and programs in the areas of education, health, social inclusion, sustainable livelihood, and peace. Since 2019, Digicel PNG Foundation provides local non-profit organizations the opportunity to apply for grants of up to K50, 000 through its Leadership for Change Community Grants Program. The Foundation also provides a capacity building training in addition to the grant support to help organizations implement their projects effectively. To date, Digicel PNG Foundation has supported with 91 grants worth up to K4.5 million. This year, a total of 375 applications from various organizations from all over PNG were submitted, with twenty successful organizations announced. Representatives from the successful recipient organizations participated in a two-day training in Madang from 18th-19th April. The training included a visit to the project site of former recipient Madang Country Women’s Association (CWA), who successfully implemented their project in Madang Province. It also involved participation from a few former successful recipients via video call where participants learned some valuable lessons in project implementation to help them execute their project plans effectively. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Digicel PNG Foundation, Serena Sasingian, congratulated the twenty successful recipients and also thanked all the unsuccessful organizations for their efforts in applying. She encouraged them not give up, and invited them to apply for future grant opportunities through the Community Grants Program. “There are many local organizations doing great work in the communities. Receiving an overwhelming number of applications from across the country indicates the need to support these organizations and impact lives in a positive way.” “Digicel PNG Foundation is delighted to be able to offer this support, and will continue this program so that we can continue to assist those who are providing solutions to local problems, so that no one gets left behind.’’ Many of the training participants were very grateful for the learning experience. One of them was Men of Honour Unsung Hero for Highlands Region and Founder for Kanamanda Resource Centre, Johannes Kundal, who acknowledged Digicel PNG Foundation for going the extra mile in providing the training in addition to the grant support for community-based organizations. “I am grateful that Digicel Foundation is not just giving us the grants, but they also want us to utilize the funds effectively. This training has given me more insight and will help me a lot.’’ The twenty organizations are now in the process of implementing their projects and programs in their respective communities.

The Sumkar District Administration in Madang province is now committed in supporting its cocoa farmers in the Karkar island communities and mainland. District Administrator, Charles Katu, declared this during the singing of partnership agreement between three cocoa farmer groups and the World Bank through the PNG Agriculture Commercialization and Diversification (PACD) Project Cocoa Component in Madang province last week, held at the Sumkar District Administration area. He stated that this program is good for the Madang communities that will give chance to every household to have a share to participate in the socio-economic activities for a better livelihood. “Since the inception of the projects, the government officers have been working closely with the farmer groups in mobilizing the farmers, establishing the lead partners and negotiating with the farmers and lead partners.” “I assure that the government will fully support these projects after the project completion in terms of sustainability in the long run. Sumkar District Authority is committed to support the projects moving forward.” “These signing agreements will become like a binding agent to bring us the government and lead partners and farmers to develop this program in the district.” Meanwhile, the officers on ground on the mainland are currently fully participating in the programs under the program manager in which he thanked his officers for participating and implementing this program, and now will be signing the agreement partnership. Katu further stated that there are lot of times that the people in the district ask for help from the district, but due to funding, sometimes the district help but not all the time. He commented that this funding from the World Bank to the three cocoa projects will greatly help more than 1, 000 farmers to boost cocoa production in the province. In addition, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Karkar Local Level Government (LLG), Ian Beb, acknowledged the PACD team and the lead partners in the island for their time and dedication. He said that this is a milestone achievement in the Karkar communities and mainland communities and urged the farmer groups to work together to implement this various cocoa projects successfully. Furthermore, PACD Cocoa Component Project Manager, Roland Kerina, congratulated the three farmer groups and their lead partners NGO Promotion Inc. from the mainland and Karkar Island, Biabi Enterprise Limited and Kulili Estate Limited with their joint partner and producer organizations. Kerina told the occasion that the funding will be channeled through goods and services such as cocoa seedlings, farming tools, trainings and other plans in the farmer group respective project plans. “Many other projects come and go without proper completion or only few benefits but with this project I assured you that this is a true project and PMU team will work closely with the farmer groups until completion.” He reminded the farmers that the team went through a tedious process in the last twelve months to identify the potential Lead Partners from a total of 61 Expression of Interests. However, only 26 passed through to the detailed project proposal phase and final 22 passed on to be assessed by the Projects Technical Appraisal Committee (TAC). This Committee is independent, which comprises of professionals, led by Mr. Paul Barker as Chairman. Following this appraisal ratings, the final list was recommended to the Cocoa Industry Coordination Committee. Meanwhile, the three in Madang province are fortunate that they have met the Word Bank guidelines and requirement and upon success, they will now be receiving funding worth more than K3 million to implement their projects.

The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) in its capacity as the Papua New Guinea Commonwealth Games Association (PNGCGA) will be staging a Gender Equity Workshop on the 18th of May. The meeting will be with its forty member and affiliate National Federations in attendance along with guests from various organizations specializing in gender equity, including Femili PNG, World Vision, the Department of Community Development and Religion, and the Department of Attorney General and Justice. This groundbreaking event, funded by the Commonwealth Games Federations Game Changer grant will enable the PNGCGA, through the workshop, to demonstrate the PNGCGA’s commitment to social responsibility, human rights advocacy, education, and positive lifestyles, specifically targeting individuals involved in sports. This includes elderly people, women, boys, girls, children, and those with disabilities who may be affected by gender-based abuse. With the rising trend of gender-based violence in many communities, the most vulnerable individuals bear the brunt of these abuses and therefore, the key theme of the workshop is to create a better and safer community for children. The workshop aims to develop an action plan that utilizes sports in partnership with invited organizations to address and create a safer community for children. This action plan is intended to be integrated into the annual calendars of the 40 National Federations from 2024 to 2029. PNGOC Secretary General, Desmond Kaviagu stressed the importance of the workshop in identifying referral pathways with participating organizations to assist victims of gender-based violence. He expressed gratitude to the Commonwealth Games Federation for their support and the participating gender based experts in PNG. In addition, Iammo Gapi Launa, OBE, board member and Chair of the PNGOC Gender Equity Committee, also highlighted that the workshop aims to bring about a positive change in the operations of National Federations, as they join forces with the Papua New Guinea community to build a better and safer nation for everyone through the platform of sports.

The East New Britain Provincial Assembly convened on the 3rd of this month at the Cardinal Degenhardt Convention Center at Vunapope in the city of Kokopo for its second meeting this year. This saw a total of nine papers brought in for deliberation, with eight supported and one withdrawn for further clarification. The papers tabled at the Provincial Assembly included; · 2024 LLG Elections, · ENB Tertiary Scholarship scheme, · 2024 National Census, · Adoption and implementation of relevant national village courts revitalized policy and strategies that are applicable to ENBP, · Proposed abolishment and establishment of new Land Mediation Divisions and Areas in ENBP, · Establishment of a Special Purpose Authority (SPA) for ENBP, · Recruitment and appointment of peace officers/police reservists, and · Enhancement of the operations and administrations of the Provincial Land Dispute Committee. ENB Provincial Member and Chairman of Finance in the ENB Provincial Assembly, Michael Marum in his communication, challenged members of the provincial assembly to be cautious in their dealings. He said that the government processes that are already in place are guides and that all of them must stand together and fight for transparency. “We began this year with the passing of the 2024 ENB Provincial Budget to the tune of K519, 816, 185. Most of the programs and projects funded in this budget were derived from the ENB SDP 2023-2033.” He further challenged the provincial administration to rise up and improve in its implementation, accountability and reporting systems for the benefit of the people. Meanwhile, Gazelle MP and National Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Jelta Wong, said that while development of vital services is progressing, the province also continues to face issues especially with law and order. He stated that lawlessness is now taking its toll on the once peaceful province. “We are stealing from our own people, businesses and impeding progress in our own communities.” He also applauded the decision to recruit a total 168 police reservists which will work alongside police officers to maintain law and order in the communities. “We continue to blame leaders for running our societies down. Our people have to understand that they are responsible for their own actions.” He urged members of the provincial assembly to unite and advance the development agendas of the province.