President’s Exit
MANILA (November 20, 2009) – Supporters greet President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as she leaves the Lakas-Kampi-CMD National Convention Thursday, November 19, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Forest covers in Benguet quickly deteriorating
by SC Aro
Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan, in his report during the Regional Development Council meeting held recently, said denudation of forestland is at the rate of 8,400 hectares per year. Currently, the province has a total of 172,751 hectares of forestland.
Fongwan lamented that people cut trees as if they are harvesting cabbages. This is particularly observed in the tri-boundaries of the Benguet, Ifugao and Mt. Province. He presented this to members of the RDC as an urgent issue that need to be addressed.
The RDC has earlier passed a resolution creating a Quick Response Team (QRT) purposely to contain and hasten the resolution of the escalating problem on forest and watershed destruction in the region.
National Commission on Indigenous People – CAR Regional Director requested the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to submit a report to the RDC on status report of QRT such as the number of cases filed and the resolution of cases.
Ifugao Governor Teodoro Baguilat Jr suggested the best approach in dealing with the mounting problem of deforestation is to talk to the community such that they become stewards of the area.
Talking through experience, Baguilat cited efforts the Social Action and Development Commission (SADC), a non-government organization in Ifugao, which providing alternative source of livelihood to the community which minimized the utilization of forest products. The community themselves protect the mossy forest.
“We cannot just say stop cutting trees as the people also need resources,” Baguilat said.
He added the denudation of forest is affecting geological balance which greatly contributed to the calamities being experienced today. “It is not only the DENR to blame but all of us,” he pointed out.
Batay-an, on the other hand, said that the government should stop issuing tax declaration to the forested areas.
As provided for in the local government code, the management of community forests is now a devolved function of local government units which called for the creation of the Environment and Natural Resources Office.
In strengthening the provision of the code and to formally turn-over the management and supervision of community forest, Fongwan believes that a Memorandum of Agreement should be forged between the LGU and the DENR.
RDC Acting Chair and National Economic and Development Authority Regional Director Juan Ngalob said that devolution of such function requires further study. (PIA-Benguet)
Donations for Luzon Storm Victims Shipped by RDCC-13
October 19, 2009
by: striker_jem
Police Regional Director Lino Calingasan formally turned over to OCD the truckloads of relief goods collected from different city and provincial PNP stations in the region after the traditional flag raising ceremony at Camp Rafael Rodriguez.
The Police Regional 13 is the depository of all donations that the Regional Coordinating Council is soliciting to help victims of typhoon Ondoy who was devastated by massive flooding in Metro Manila last September 26.
In her speech, OCD Regional Director Blanche Gubenchiong said, “In the OCD’s mission areas 
of risk identification and vulnerability assessment, civil protection and preparedness, coordination for response, operations and rehabilitation initiatives, the Filipino indeed ha shown many virtues if spontaneous response.”
Special mention was the PNP that according to RD Gubenchiong, has always risen above expectations.
And in all efforts of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council and the OCD, the PNP was always ready to assist in community work.
The relief goods and donations for the typhoon and flood victims in Luzon were right away transported to Nasipit port for shipment to the National Disaster Coordinating Council in Manila.
Vizcaya town honors tricycle drivers
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya (October 15) — Local officials in this town have cited tricycle drivers in a fitting ceremony after the conduct of the search for its model members dubbed “Maginoong” tricycle driver in time with the 10-day 2009 “Pagbiagan” Festival here.
Joseph Lacerna, 27 of barangay Osmena bagged this year’s search, followed by Marcial Naguit, 35 of barangay Quezon, 2nd; Albert Victorino, 24 of barangay Quirino, 3rd; Jerix Salazar, 32 of barangay, 4th and Arvin Lance Bermudez, 18 of barangay Roxas as 5th awardee.
The winners were selected after passing the final screening and elimination by the search committee, said Aurelio Polonio, assistant event organizer of the search.
According to Polonio, since the town does not have enough natural and manmade tourism spots that will boost the business and industry, the real Filipino culture particularly values are also being promoted for tourism.
“It is on this conviction that we are investing on our people-the tricycle drivers because they are the frontliners in our tourism industry being in the transportation sector,” he stressed.
The search for “Maginoong Tricycle Driver 2009″ aims to bring out the best qualities of tricycle drivers showcasing not just their physical abilities but also intellectual, psychological, social and religious well-being, to bring out the true value of town residents representing the distinct qualities, showcase a vibrant driver who possesses the traits of honesty, hospitality and courtesy who can promote and advocate the town’s tourism potentials and to bring out the potentials of tricycle drivers who can represent the town in its social and official functions and activities outside and inside the municipality. (BME/PIA NVizcaya)
Green Groups Campaign for Zero Waste Solutions to Lessen Ravages of Climate Change
(parade lion waste monster to warn people of health and environmental hazards of wasting)
As the Filipino people come to grips with the deadly onslaught of storms, floods and landslides, the EcoWaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and the Miss Earth Foundation stepped up their common plea for increased resource conservation and decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through greener lifestyle
changes and Zero Waste.
In a post-Ondoy and Pepeng community outreach, the groups in collaboration with barangay and school officials organized a creative event in Barangay Krus na Ligas in Quezon City to encourage the public to get rid of wasteful habits and consciously cut the amount of trash going to bins, waterways and dumpsites.
To emphasize the issue of wasting, the groups paraded a “lion waste monster,” a horrendous creature whose head and body were crafted mostly from plastic bags – the most obvious manifestation of the ever-increasing throw-away consumption culture that became more visible during the post-Ondoy cleanup challenge. The lion “danced” to
the vigorous beat of drums made of recycled materials.
“The destructive back-to-back storms remind us that we can no longer live ‘business as usual.’ Our wasteful consumption patterns are heating up our planet in a fast pace. By adopting Zero Waste as part of our daily routine, we conserve our diminishing natural resource base and curb pollution from the high volume of trash sent to dumpsites or dumped into our rivers and seas,” said Gigie Cruz of GAIA, which spearheaded the event to mark the “Global Day of Action against Waste and Incineration.”
“Composting our biodegradable discards, for instance, eliminates methane releases from dumpsites and landfills, while improving soil fertility and reducing demands for synthetic fertilizer and toxic pesticides,” she added. Methane has 72 times more global warming
potential compared to carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
“It is time that we make drastic changes in our practices in response to what Mother Earth is telling us. We cannot afford another ‘Ondoy’ or ‘Pepeng’ just to tell us that we need to cut and manage our waste.
We should continue to help educate and empower our people to shift to more 
environmentally-sound alternatives and opt for greener choices now,” said Cathy Untalan, Executive Director, Miss Earth Foundation.
Together with Miss Earth 2008 Karla Henry, Miss Philippines Fire 2009 Patricia Marie Tumulak, Miss Philippines Water 2009 Catherine Loyola, Miss Philippines Air 2009 Michelle Martha Braun and Miss Philippines Earth 2009 runner-up Kirstie Joan Babor, the eco-queens likewise promoted a switch to “Wastong Nutrisyon” to avoid non-communicable diseases that are associated with diet-related lifestyle diseases.
For his part, actor Roy Alvarez of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Steering Committee emphasized the need for all Filipinos to assume responsibility for their discards and live a waste-free lifestyle.
“We need everyone to take full responsibility in cutting our waste size to the minimum and in ensuring that our discards are ecologically managed and not merely thrown, dumped or burned. As stewards of Mother Nature, we all need to assume our role and duty to relate and care for the environment,” Alvarez said.
Following the parade, Mercy Sumilang of the Mother Earth Foundation, assisted by 10 “earth maidens and guardians,” facilitated a hands-on demonstration on the easy way of segregating discards into biodegradable, non-biodegradable and hazardous (also known as special waste) categories, and showed the audience the basic steps for successful household composting.
Zero Waste is the dynamic application of waste prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling and composting at any level – household, institutional, community and country – that has been shown to reduce GHG emissions from avoided disposal and from reduced demand for virgin materials.
According to GAIA’s fact sheet on “Zero Waste for Zero Warming,” Zero Waste is among the cheapest and most effective strategies to combat climate change since its application lessens the use of fossil fuel from materials extraction, production, consumption and disposal, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions from these activities, while saving the forests and mountains and safeguarding other essential life
support systems.
For a healthier and safer lifestyle and environment, the EcoWaste Coalition, GAIA and the Miss Earth Foundation have come up with tips that can help in reducing not only the volume but also the toxicity of waste, such as refraining from using single-use disposable items, cutting back on plastic bags and switching to reusable carry bags, properly segregating discards for easier and cleaner recycling, composting biodegradable discards into soil nutrients, separating hazardous waste from regular household waste, and by not burning or dumping discards.
Also present in the event were the representatives of the Cavite Green Coalition, Earth Renewal Project, EARTH UST, Health Care Without Harm, Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society, Sanib-Lakas ng mga Aktibong Lingkod sa Inang Kalikasan and Sining Yapak.
A Week After the Typhoon
A week after the typhoon, some roads were still covered with thick mud and some villages and streets were still underwater. People who were badly affected are still staying in nearby public schools that were converted into evacuation centers, surviving on releif goods being rationed by the government and other organizations. Classes in all levels have been suspended for a week. According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Ondoy caused an estimated P4.8 billion, P3.6 billion of which comes from the agriculture sector.(Buck Pago/AKP-Images)
Massive Floods in Metro Manila Caused by Typhoon Ondoy Bring Pinoy’s Bayanihan Spirit
September 27, 2009
by: striker_jem
Butuan – Families in Metro Manila and other provinces in Luzon are now homeless with little or no food to eat and safe water to drink.
The government with the help of different organizations and foundations appealing to everyone to be able to extend their assistance to affected families.
Bloggers are reaching out to people in Visayas and Mindanao making use of the cyberspace to inform different ways to help by donating to the Philippine National Red Cross and were encouraged to contribute to information dissemination and other ways to keep people in touch.
Those who have families and friends overseas were likewise urged to email them to donate to their national Red Cross for Philippine flood victim relief.
To the people in Mindanao, the Philippine National Red Cross is informing that their online database is open 24 hours to accept donations:
Red Cross donation through SMS: text REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart). TXTPower.org will forward donations to Red Cross: Paypal – Smart Money – 5577-5144-1866-103
G-Cash – 0917-9751092.
Anyone can send cash or check donations to the PNRC National Headquarters in Manila wherein checks should be made payable to The Philippine National Red Cross.
PNRC would also like to inform the public of their bank accounts:
Account Name: The Phil. Nat’l. Red Cross
METROBANK
Port Area Branch
Peso Acct.: 151-3-041-63122-8
Dollar Acct.: 151-2-151-00218-2
Type of Acct. : SAVINGS
Swift Code: MBTC PH MM
BANK OF THE PHIL. ISLANDS
Port Area Branch
Peso Acct.: 4991-0010-99
Type of Account: CURRENT
BANK OF THE PHIL. ISLANDS
UN Branch
Dollar Acct.: 8114-0030-94
Type of Account: SAVINGS
Swift Code: BOPI PH MM
For your donations to be properly acknowledged, please fax the bank transaction slip at numbers +63.2.527.0575 or +63.2.404.0979 with your name, address and contact number.
Credit Card: Please fax the following info to +632.404.09.79 and +632.527.0575:
Name of card member, billing address, contact nos. (phone & mobile), credit card no., expiration date, CCV2/ CVC2 (last three digits at the back of the credit card), billing address, amount to be donated.
For online donations you may also visit PNRC’s website at www.redcross.org.ph
Donations in kind to the Red Cross are also welcome coming from overseas by following the process:
1. Send a letter of intent to donate to the PNRC
2. A letter of acceptance from PNRC shall be sent back to the donor
3. Immediately after shipping the goods, please send the (a) original Deed of Donation, (b) copy of packing list and (c) original Airway Bill for air shipments or Bill of Lading for sea shipments to The Philippine National Red Cross–National Headquarters c/o Secretary General Corazon Alma de Leon, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila 2803, Philippines.
However it was made clear that PNRC does not accept rotten, damaged, expired or decayed goods and though PNRC appreciate the generosity, they discourage donations of old clothes as they still have more than enough to go around.
Meanwhile, National Disaster Coordinating Council Secretary Gilbert Teodoro announced they made an email account to accept all messages relating to NDCC’s relief efforts. Email to: ndcchelpdesk@gmail.com
Today, NDCC concentrated on the relief and rescue operations and tomorrow they will start assessing the damage brought about by typhoon Ondoy.
Initially, 51 were reported dead while more than 280,000 missing as a result of Saturday’s flooding, the worst in 20 years.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared a state of calamity in Metro Manila and at least 23 provinces in Luzon. (pictures from savann oeurm & Christian)
UN’s Billion Tree Campaign hits seven billion goal target
Global climate change initiative inspires millions in run-up to crucial Copenhagen conference
New York/Nairobi (21 September) — The global public’s desire to see action on climate change was clearly spotlighted today with the announcement that the Billion Tree Campaign has reached 7 billion trees—one for every person on the planet.
Over the past three years millions of people ranging from scouts to presidents and from schoolchildren to city dwellers and corporate heads have been rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty for the environment through tree planting.
Today’s milestone was reached with the news that the Government of China has planted 2.6 billion trees as part of this unique campaign, bringing the total to 7.3 billion trees planted in 167 countries worldwide.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said: “Seven billion trees, seven billion commitments to action and seven billion reasons why governments should be inspired to Seal the Deal at the crucial UN climate change convention meeting in Copenhagen in less than 80 days’ time.”
“When this campaign was launched in 2006, there were those who said it could not be done. But day after day and week after week, people have got out into their gardens, parks and cities and into the countryside and the rural areas to prove the doubters wrong,” he added.
“Above all the Billion Tree Campaign shows that the simple act of planting a tree resonates and unites the child in the slums of Africa with a president in Mexico, or a corporate CEO in Paris with UN peacekeepers in Timor-Leste. It is the kind of solidarity that now needs to be expressed at the level of all governments and heads of state between now and December in order to move economies towards a low carbon, sustainable path,” said Mr Steiner.
The Billion Tree Campaign was launched jointly with the World Agroforestry Centre during the UN climate convention meeting in November 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya, under the patronage of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Its initial goal was to catalyze the pledging and the planting of one billion trees as a way of giving public expression to the challenges of climate change and also forest and ecosystem degradation.
Since then the Billion Tree Campaign has more than surpassed its aims, evolving into a true ‘People’s Campaign’ – more than half (52 per cent) of all the participants are private individuals.
Furthermore, tree planting has become both an inter-faith and an inter-generational activity, with the trees symbolizing connections between children and parents and bringing together people from different religious backgrounds.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Kenyan Green Belt Movement and the campaign’s co-patron, said: “Let’s plant even more trees to celebrate this wonderful achievement, the fruit of collective action from people all over the planet. By making the Billion Tree Campaign such an incredible success, people from every continent are calling their governments to truly start caring for the planet and to find unity in the fight against climate change.”
His Serene Highness Albert II, the Sovereign Prince of Monaco and the campaign’s co-patron, said: “I have always had a strong belief in the symbolic strength of the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign and I am delighted that it has exceeded our greatest expectations, far beyond the welfare linked to replanting trees, to benefit future generations.”
Highlights of the Billion Tree Campaign
In the past eight months China planted 6.1 billion trees, of which 2.6 billion have been given to the Billion Tree Campaign. With the announcement of these 2.6 additional billion trees, the grand total number of trees planted for the campaign stands at 7.3 billion as of 21 September. The government planted 260 different species of trees in eleven provinces around China, from Inner Mongolia to Yunnan and from Shandong to Sichuan.
The announcement was made in New York on 21 September at a press conference attended by international dignitaries, including Campaign Patrons Wangari Maathai and Prince Albert II of Monaco, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, China’s Minister of the State Forestry Administration Jia Zhibang, and Mohamed Nasheed, the President of the Maldives. The announcement coincided with Global Climate Week, an event launched to mobilize global mass action around the UN high-level event on climate change – including the Global Tree Planting Drive on19 September where people were encouraged to plant trees on every corner of the planet.
A number of other countries around the world have planted impressive numbers of trees since the campaign was launched. Countries that have planted more than a hundred million trees range from Ethiopia (with 1.4 billion trees) and Turkey (711 million trees) to Mexico (with 537 million trees) and countries including Kenya, Cuba, and Indonesia.
In addition to bringing governments to take concrete action to reforest their lands, the Billion Tree Campaign has succeeded in catalyzing tree planting from all walks of society, bringing together creative, original and pioneering initiatives around the world.
To name a few, the Replant New Orleans Initiative sponsored a planting of fruit trees to help breathe new life into a community struggling with the aftermath of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina; the Greening Soweto Campaign is transforming dustbowls into treed lanes in Soweto by capitalizing on South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup; and 132 children in 56 countries have pledged to plant a total of one million trees as part of the ‘Stop talking, Start planting’ campaign, which was started by an eleven-year-old boy.
The economic gains of tree planting are powerfully illustrated by the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative. As well as being close to planting 38 million trees in the Appalachian region, the North American organization has also devised a green job tree planting proposal to stimulate the economy of Appalachia and reap the ecological benefits of a region-wide reforestation effort.
In addition, the Campaign has mobilized groups and individuals in post-conflict areas around the world, bringing the seeds of hope to communities in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, Liberia and Somalia among others.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has planted 9 million trees in and around refugee camps around the globe, helping to plant hundreds of thousands of acres of trees in Asia and Africa since the 1990s.
The United Nations Departments of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and Field Support (DFS) have also participated in the campaign, with thirteen peacekeeping missions having pledged 117,848 trees. Of this number 33,184 trees have already taken root across various countries hosting peacekeeping missions. The campaign, which encouraged the planting of indigenous trees appropriate to the local environments, has not only witnessed the participation and enthusiasm of UN staff, but also of the local communities in the different areas of operation.
The private sector has become a key player in the global campaign, accounting for almost 15 per cent of all the trees planted. Multinationals from Accor to Bayer and from Toyota to Coca-Cola East and Central Africa and Yves Rocher have been active tree planters, along with hundreds of small and medium-sized companies the world over.
The campaign’s universal appeal is clear from its success on social networking sites, with some 4,000 blogs adopting the cause early in the campaign.
Proving true its motto that ‘Every tree counts, and we count every tree’, the Billion Tree Campaign’s phenomenal success is a result of the participation of people of all walks of life and from every corner of the planet. (UN/PIA)
Bicol rated number 1 in rice production in RP
by LA Gavino, S Nieves
Pili, Camarines Sur (8 September) — Bicol now ranks first among the regions in the entire country in palay production growth rate based from the report of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS).
Bicol posted a 17.3% palay production growth rate in the first semester of 2009 compared to the first semester of last year, the highest among the rice producing regions.
Camarines Sur, a consistent surplus rice producer, stood out among the provinces of Bicol in terms of volume in palay production which is an immense factor in the region’s number one ranking during the said period.
Ilocos region ranks second with 13.08 % growth rate for the same period, followed by Central Luzon which registered a 9.23 % net production growth.
Governor LRay Villafuerte has placed high premium on agricultural productivity, especially on palay production, because of his firm commitment that it is vital to the economic acceleration of the province.
The BAS report attributes the remarkable performance of Bicol to the use of quality seeds by most farmers, the additional use of inputs and better irrigation system. (MMEC/PIA)
PGMA to Launch Coconut Plantation Project in Lallo, Cagayan
Tuguegarao City (26 August) — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will spearhead the launching of the coconut plantation project in the Province of Cagayan.
The project is in line with the thrust of President Arroyo’s administration in addressing hunger, health, environment and literacy.
The President will witness further the forging of a Memorandum of Agreement between and among the representatives of Rotary Club of Centennial Quezon City (RCCPQ), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), and Cagayan State University (CSU) as the core agencies to pursue the project dubbed as “A Dollar for a Tree of Life”.
The project is called “A Dollar for a Tree of Life” because for each dollar donated by a Rotarian, one coconut tree also known as the “tree of Life” will be planted by the farmer beneficiaries, and by planting coconut trees, millions of benefits will be reaped for a lifetime.
The project will be implemented in Northern Luzon and Cagayan province was chosen as one among the pilot areas of the project. In Region 2, there are 642,299 hectares suitable for coconut plantation.
The project is laudable considering that thousands of coconut seedling will be planted that will produce plenty of food, oil, bio-fuels, medicinal products and many more by-product out of coconut.
The coconut tree planting activities will also help farmers because it would generate thousands of jobs. (Oliver B./PIA 2)
