Heavy rains trigger floods in Albay and Sorsogon
by MA Loterte
Legazpi City (14 October) — Heavy rains spawned by a Low Pressure in the eastern part of Visayas triggered flooding and lahar to cascade down from the slopes of Mt. Mayon rendering some major roads in Albay and Sorsogon provinces temporarily impassable to both heavy and light vehicles.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol reported flooding in the towns of Camalig, Guinobatan, Pioduran, Libon including the cities in Ligao and Legazpi, all in Albay, and in the towns of Gubat, Prieto Diaz including Sorsogon City following a 12 hour rains pelting these places Wednesday.
OCD reports said flooding affected portions of road networks along Camalig-Guinobatan Maharlika Highway, Tagaytay road in Camalig, Libon-pantao Road in Libon. Ligao-Pioduran Road in Ligao City, Padang road in this city.
Flash floods also affected the Gubat-Prieto Diaz road and Gogon-San Isidro Sorsogon road in Sorsogon City.
Except for the Padang road in this city which was covered by heavy volume of lahar that cascaded down the slopes of Mayon volcano all these road network were now cleared by government engineers and are now open to traffic.
In Albay, Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda directed various disaster councils with flood and landslide prone areas to be on high alert and prepare for selective evacuation in case heavy rains might further trigger flooding and landslides.
He said villages prone to flooding and landslides are the towns of s Libon, Sto Domingo, Malinao, Manito, the cities of Ligao and Legazpi.
Salceda quoting PDCC report said some 172 families or 897 people from the villages in low lying areas Camalig and Guinobatan were evacuated to safer grounds on Wednesday.
Army Col. Marlou Salazar, commanding officer of the 901st Army Brigade said he has dispatch 10 Army trucks prepositioned for preemptive evacuation measures of residents threatened by flooding and landslides.
Lt. Darwin Nieva Philippine Navy, OCD Bicol spokesman, said the navy, police and DPWH Bicol have also deployed additional six trucks for evacuation purposes.
Salceda also suspended classes in the elementary and secondary level across the province as a preemptive disaster measure.
He also cancelled the Provincial Boy Scout Jamboree set on Wednesday in Manito, Albay because of the bad weather prevailing in the province. Scouters from across the province were sent home via Army trucks.
Disaster managers here, meanwhile, said flood waters submerged the main road networks leading to the town in the 1st district of Albay in barangay Padang, here.
Salceda said as a precautionary measure to prevent loss of lives he directed the various town disaster councils affected by flooding to set up holding areas as temporary evacuation sites for residents affected by flooding and landslide.
Elsewhere in Bicol, roads traversing the Maharlika Highways in the provinces of Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte are passable to light and heavy vehicles. (PIA V)
NAVFORSOL sets 1st youth empowerment summit
by DF Nieva
Legazpi City (14 October) — All preparations are in place for the holding of the 1st Youth Empowerment Summit 09′ set on October 23 to 25, this year sponsored by the Philippine Navy- Naval Forces Southern Luzon (NAVFORSOL) here.
Navy Commodore Joel Babas, NAVFORSOL commanding officer, said the summit aims to enhance youth awareness and active participation to community-based programs, which will contribute to personality development and social consciousness.
Babas said the summit dubbed as “Kabataan, Ngayon na” will be participated in by 150 youth from Albqay at Costa Rita Resort in Sto Domingo town in Albay.
Activities will include team building sessions, promote advocacy on strengthening disaster risk management at the community level, orient each participant on climate change and its effect, and to develop youth’s social consciousness and responsibility towards community development.
The 3-day training will be carried out under the auspices of the Navy, in cooperation with the Bicol University (BU) – University Student Council and United Nations Youth Association of the Philippines (UNYAP), a conduit partner of NAVFORSOL, as part of the multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional approach towards the realization of the advocacy program.
“We have engaged the most dynamic and valuable stakeholder in the community, the youth sector, as our partner in youth empowerment,” Babas pointed out.
The summit expects the participants to be empowered with renewed techniques in managing their duties and responsibilities in their respective community.
The training will teach the youth to respond to the current issues and concerns of society and challenged to initiate programs or projects that they may execute in their community-based organizations for a positive change, and be more motivated in rendering service towards the betterment of their area, through, meaningful, and responsible actions.
Disaster authorities said the country is constantly visited by calamities with a high frequency of occurrence, with sever consequences in losses.
They said calamities has impacted adversely the economic development and social stability of various communities with this program, there is a need to rally the support of government and non-government institutions in order to prevent emergencies, mitigate their effects and ensure the provision to those in need.
It is in this context that the Navy and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol has collaborated on various activities to develop consciousness and implore support of various sectors on strengthening disaster risk management at the community level.
The program would focus on the need to take a proactive stance on the holistic concept of disaster risk management instead of mere disaster response and to involve and enhance the risk management capability of the local government units.
Earlier, the Navy and other members of various sectors convened the 1st Bicol Stakeholder’s Summit last August 29, 2009 here to promote DRR advocacy.
During the forum, the general assembly affirmed its unequivocal support on the passing of Senate Bill 3086 entitled: “Strengthening Philippine Disaster Risk Management by Institutionalizing the National Disaster Risk Management Framework, Appropriating Funds therefore and other Purposes.” (NAVFORSOL/PIA)
Coast Guard Bicol launches “Basura Mo, Sagip Buhay Ko”
Lt.JG Jose Ronnie T. Ong, newly installed Coast Guard Sorsogon City Station Commander, said that the project launching was successfully realized with a pilot distribution of improvised life saving device to at least eight marginalized fisher folks.
Ong said that aside from the first eight recipients, another six fishermen will benefit for their next round of distribution targeting an initial fourteen beneficiaries before October ends.
“This is a very simple project but can save lives of people particularly the fisher folks who do not have the capacity of buying commercially available life saving equipment such as life jacket due to monetary constrain,” he said.
“Also, with the flooding that happens everywhere now in the country, life saving equipment is a must to every residents particularly those living in low-lying or easily flooded areas for their own survival,” he added.
Ong bared that the success and the positive feedback of the community during the initial distribution in this city has challenged them to produce more life saving device for the many who need it most.
According to him, the initial distribution did not only manifest the PCG and private entities’ cooperation to produce an efficient and less expensive cost of a life saving device for the people, but also taught the community of the importance and value of self reliance, instilling in them the value that not all things are to be bought.
“In a way, CGDBCL had given them an idea and taught them to be self sufficient in fabricating their own life saving device through the samples we had distributed utilizing “basura” or waste materials,” Ong further said.
It can be noted that’Basura Mo, Sagip Buhay Ko”, conceptualized by PCG Bicol Region District Commander Capt. Elson E. Hermogino, was launched as a project on August 9, 2009, initially requesting the region’s chain of restaurants, food manufacturers, and chemical companies to donate empty 4 liter gallon size plastic containers for the project’s kick off activities.
The project’s goal is to fabricate an improvised life saving device made of 2 empty plastic galloon (1 gal. capacity size), 1 empty galloon (1 liter capacity size), 1 ½ meter length (3/4″ diameter) nylon rope, bolt and nut (size 5/16 x 3/4), 2 pcs, washer, marine epoxy adhesive and orange color paint to be distributed to the fisher folks in the region to address survivability at sea and much more to save lives during any maritime disaster.
“Much more, this initiative is also a response to the Solid Waste Management Program implemented by the national government,” said Ong. (BARecebido, with reports from RTOng, PCG/PIA)
PGMA orders retrieval of bodies in Benguet landslides
Manila (14 October) — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the immediate retrieval of the bodies still buried by landslides in Benguet.
The President made the order during the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)-Cabinet meeting held at the West Central Elementary School in Dagupan City.
“Rescue is priority, then relief,” she added.
The President was in Dagupan City to distribute relief goods to thousands of victims of typhoon “Pepeng”.
The evacuees are temporarily housed at the city astrodome.
Truckloads of relief goods were transported from the Malacanang Emergency Relief Center, where over 9,000 volunteers tirelessly pack the relief goodies consisting of rice, canned goods, noodles, bottled water, candles, and clothing, among others.
Earlier in the day, the President was in La Trinidad, Benguet, to distribute relief goods to typhoon victims.
She also condoled with and handed out P10,000 each to families who lost their loved ones.
She said many are still buried in landslides in Benguet. (PIA)
3 NSO surveys on-going this October
Tabuk, Kalinga (10 September) — Three surveys on vital statistics are on-going this month covering the provinces of Apayao and Kalinga, primarily the survey on labor force.
OIC Provincial Statistics Officer Avelino Cadalig of the National Statistics Office here said that from October 8-31, a total of 342 households in 33 barangays of the two provinces will be surveyed.
He said aside from the labor force survey are two rider surveys. These are the survey on domestic visitors to determine travel patterns; their characteristics; measure domestic volume of domestic tourism; and to estimate the extent of economic contribution of domestic tourism in the country, and the survey on overseas Filipinos (OFs) aimed to provide data particularly on the overseas contract workers and their contribution to the country; obtain national estimates on the number of OFs including overseas workers and their socio-economic characteristics.
He said it includes gathering of estimates on the amount of cash and in-kind transfer received by their families and mode of remittances.
“For the purpose of the survey, only those family members who traveled outside of the Philippines within the period October 2004 to September 2009 for any reason are included”, Cadalig stressed.
The September 2009 issue of the Kalinga Quicksat shows that the April 2009 labor participation rate in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is 67.4% compared to the same period last year of 65.7% with an increase of 1.7 percent.
Employment rate also increased by.7 percent from 95.1 in April of last year to 95.8 this year of the same period.
Celebrated this October is the 20th National Statistics month with the theme: Enhancing Security Sector Statistics for Good Governance and Sustainable Development. Lined up activities are data dissemination, IEC on NSO services to churches, schools and LGU lawmakers, and open house to avail of NSO services. (PIA-Kalinga)
DSWD orients partners on 4Ps
by Lito Dar
According to DSWD-CAR 4Ps Regional Focal Person Mary Ann Buclao, the activity aims to orient partners in the health department – city health officers, midwives and barangay health officials, about 4Ps and on how to monitor the health conditionality of the said program.
“4Ps is a conditional cash transfer program wherein each family beneficiary can get a cash grant as high as P1,400 per month and we cannot just give the cash grant to the beneficiaries who do not comply with the conditions. We have to monitor the beneficiary’s compliance, like the health conditions of having regular check-up and the availing of immunizations and vaccines,” Buclao said.
Our objective is to orient our partners in the health sector to the (4Ps) program and to their responsibilities, so as for them to have the same level of understanding and to ensure that every partner agency is doing its job,” City Assistant Social Welfare and Development Officer Edith Furigay said.
Buclao said that the implementation of 4Ps in the city is on track in terms of the expected target and outcome.
The beneficiaries are very good in complying with the conditions. “Sa Baguio wala naming problema, as health is accessible and we have the supply needs of the beneficiaries. The schools are also doing their job, very accessible din naman ang mga school sa ating mga beneficiaries,” Furigay added
Buclao also disclosed that the city’s 663 beneficiaries are almost set to receive their June, July and August payments. They can now get their cash grants 24/7, they can get it anytime on any Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) branches and Automated Teller Machine (ATM) facilities, as we have already released to them their ATM Cash Cards last month,” she said.
from Baguio, DSWD-CAR also already issued ATM Cash Cards to 4Ps beneficiaries in 14 municipalities in Abra and the 4Ps beneficiaries in Conner, Apayao.
Meanwhile, the government, through the directive of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be allotting about P5 Billion additional budget to increase the beneficiaries to one million by the end of this year. Adding 300,000 more beneficiaries to the present 700,000 household beneficiaries, will bring the annual 4Ps budget to P15 Billion.
In CAR, there are a total of 13,078 4Ps beneficiaries. (PIA)
IP Month celebration focuses on IEC on IPRA
by Lito Dar
Baguio City (10 September) — The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is 93% Indigenous People (IP) populated and because of this, the Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) has declared the whole month of October as Indigenous People’s (IP) Month.
CAR is the only region, in the country that is giving recognition to IPs for a whole month, stressed National Commission for Indigenous People (NCIP-CAR) Technical Management and Service Division head Recto Alawas, in a radio interview.
For the IP celebration, Alawas reiterated NCIP-CAR Regional Director Atty Batay-An’s directive that they will be spearheading a simple yet meaningful celebration, as most of their efforts right now will be re-directed towards giving assistance to IPs and Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs), who are heavily affected by the series of typhoons that recently hit the country.
The NCIP will continue to endeavor with their development advocacies and with such, they will be joining Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns on regional autonomy to ensure the inclusion of IP concerns in such development agenda. The NCIP will also be coordinating the conduct of an inter-agency IEC on land tenure instrument among the local government agencies.
Alawas also stressed the importance of having more IEC campaign on the IPRA since many people are still confused with regards to the said law. With this, the NCIP is planning to conduct IEC (on IPRA) on other government agencies, local government units and the communities. Due to limited funds, however, Alawas is encouraging government agencies, LGUs and even local communities to invite them if they have scheduled forums so as they can provide IECs regarding IPRA.
Alawas also stressed the need for clarification about some provisions of the IPRA, who are being considered as controversial, such as the Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC), Certificate of Ancestral Land Titles (CALT) and Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).
As an example, Alawas cited that under the IPRA, a CADT cannot be sold and a CALT can be sold under several conditions, and with this he also clarified that an ancestral land that was legitimately or legally sold cannot be redeemed even if they use or invoke the IPRA. (PIA)
Baguio senior citizens group launches advocacy for responsible voting in 2010
by Lito Dar
First in their agenda is to encourage all young people, who will be eligible to vote come May 2010, to come out and register and exercise their right to vote.
According to Mr. Narciso Padilla, Media focal person of BARP and the president of the Baguio Elderly Association (BEA), a group composed of the five major senior citizen/retired persons associations in the city with about 22,000 members, their advocacy will start as a family affair, wherein each member will ensure that t he or she is registered and will be going out to vote responsibly. They will also ensure that their family members, from their children up to their grandchildren, will do the same.
In the same forum, BARP president Prof. Federico Balanag, stressed that their group is apolitical and hopefully with such endeavor and with the automation of the 2010 elections, the political system will change. “This advocacy will be funded from the BARP fund itself,” added Balanag.
In line with the advocacy, BARP will be funding a “public address system – that will be going around the city for a mobile campaign. In addition, BARP is also planning to hook up with colleges and universities in the city, as well as in La Trinidad, Benguet, to conduct symposia to campaign for citizen’s registration and responsible voting. BARP will also be hanging advocacy posters and will try to arrange with different baranggays for the same purpose.
In a related issue, BARP lauded government efforts to bring down the price of medicines, through the Cheaper Medicines Act. The BARP foundation has its own “Botika ng Bayan,” wherein people, not only their members can buy cheaper and generic drugs. Balanag, however, stressed that at present they are encountering some problems in getting the supplies for their outlet.
Other officials who served as panelists during the forum were Board of Trustees members Jose Taguba, Tolentino Opiniano, Menchita Damoslog, Placido Abuan and Ret. Col. Conrado Gacad. (PIA)
Isabela disaster body estimates P57 million damage on agriculture
Ilagan, Isabela (8 October) — The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) has initially assessed the damage caused by typhoon Pepeng last Saturday here.
The PDCC posted a total of P57 million damages on rice and corn crops, livestock and high value crops that are mostly to be harvested.
The damages are recorded from northern Isabela towns and some are from other three district towns of Isabela particularly in low lying areas.
There were eleven thousand hectares of palay affected with a total 7, 630 of rice farmers and 637 hectares of corn land affected with a total of 370 corn farmers.
The PDCC has also recorded a big loss on high-value-crops (vegetable crops) with 107 hectares affected and forty vegetable farmers.
Twenty hectares of banana plantations were also destroyed and there were 292 fishponds devastated by typhoon Pepeng.
The provincial government is still assessing the extent of damage as of press time and the initial report is expected to increase as there are still areas that were not reached and assessed like the coastal towns of Palanan, Maconacon, Divilacan and Dinapigue where the typhoon has crossed last Saturday.
Meawhile, the PDCC reported that there were also damages on infrastructures. The PDCC has posted damages on provincial roads in various parts of the province with a total of P2.3 million and a P2.5 million damages on bridges.
The PDCC is optimistic that the damages wrought by typhoon Pepeng will be given priority by the public works and highways department through the province’s recommendations to restore the infrastructure projects which are very important element for Isabela farmers to boost economic activity. (PIA Isabela)
LTO defers RFID project
Tuguegarao City (8 October) — The Land Transportation Office has deferred the implementation of the controversial Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) project to allow for further public consultations.
LTO chief Arturo Lomibao made the announcement after a consultation meeting with various groups, including those who opposed the program.
Lomibao proposed the program known as electronic tagging, should be first implemented on government vehisles to set an example and allay fears that the project would be used by government to spy on citizens.
He proposed that the vehicle tagging be made voluntary from October to December this year.
“But all of these are just recommendations. We would have to await the final word of Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza on this. Pending the DOTC decision, the consultations would continue and we would try to reach as many as we can, Lomibao added.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairman Alberto Suansing said it’s not true that the LTO surprised the public with the RFID project since it was tested in 2008 when he was then LTO administrator.
The DOTC and the National Economic and Development Authority has scrutinized the project, causing the delay in implementation. (PIA 2)
