Rest in peace
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (December 4, 2009) – A crew of the Forest Lake Memorial Garden assist the laying down of one of the eight local journalists who were interred Friday, December 4. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Final Blessing
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (December 4, 2009) – A priest gives his final blessing Friday, December 4, at the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage church to the remains of journalists who were victims of the Maguindanao massacre two weeks ago. Mediamen Ian Subang, Marites Cablitas, Marie Fe Montano, Gina Dela Cruz, Leah Dalmacio, Ronnie Perante, Robillo Bataluna and Russell Morales, all from General Santos City, were interred at the Forest Lake Memorial Garden. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
PNP drive nets 57 loose firearms in Capiz
by Jemin B. Guillermo
Information Officer Pablito Silvestre of the Capiz Police Provincial Office said that from January to July this year, the Capiz policemen were able to arrest 40 persons and filed in court some 35 cases after a massive drive against loose firearms.
Silvestre said that the confiscation of 57 loose firearms during said period was the result of their 55 police operations.
The intensified conduct of warranted search, Oplan Sita and Oplan Bakal in Capiz is in part of the government’s effort to ensure proper registration of firearms as well as responsible gun ownership.
Meanwhile, Capiz PNP Provincial Director Josephus Angan has reminded the public to avail of the government’s Firearm Amnesty Program as embodied in Executive Order 817.
Angan revealed that they have sent 204 demand letters to delinquent firearms holders and 37 have already applied for renewal of license.
He added that 5 holders of unregistered or loose firearms have likewise applied for a license.
Angan disclosed that the Final General Firearms Amnesty will be implemented only from October 1 to 31 this year through the PNP.
On the other hand, Police Director General Jesus Verzosa vowed to account for at least 3 percent of loose firearms every month, particularly from the threat groups, criminal elements and general public who are in possession of said firearms.
Verzosa also called on public support and cooperation in the national campaign against loose firearms to establish an effective firearms control in the entire country.
He expressed confidence that they will achieve significant headway in said campaign in the months ahead with the vibrant support from the various sectors of the society. (PIA)
Negrenses Rally to Preserve The Country’s Organic Farming Capital
Greenpeace put up two doors signifying an organic, GMO-free Negros (Green) and a GMO-contaminated future (Black), and requested members of the SP to take a stand and pass through the door that signifies their position.
Negros Occidental pioneered the ban on GMOs when it passed the ordinance, also called the “Safeguard Against Genetically Modified Organisms,” in 2007. The province, along with Negros Oriental, has been putting measures into place to turn Negros into an organic food island. Last April, the local government upheld the ban by rejecting shipments of illegal GMO corn at the capital’s port in Bacolod City.
This prompted GMO producing companies to field lobby groups to challenge the ordinance. The provincial government reiterated that it is maintaining the ban. Last month, however, anti-organic farming parties were able to sway the SP into holding hearings to reconsider the ordinance.
“It is now time for members of the provincial council to show their support for a future of agriculture that provides real solutions to food security and does not depend on unreliable, unproven techno fixes such as agrochemicals and GMOs” said Daniel M. Ocampo, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Sustainable Agriculture campaigner. “We are calling on the SP to look into lasting solutions that provide income and growth for the province without compromising the health of people and the environment.”
Organic farmers in Negros are looking towards the SP to uphold the ban protecting their means of livelihood – and their way of life – from contamination. “We are spending less on materials to get the same yield of crop when using organic means rather than the chemicals that some entities are pushing,” Jose Winston Cordoba of the Canaan Farmers Association (CFA) said in Ilonggo, his native tongue. “We, and especially our children, are also safe from harmful chemicals when there are no GMOs,” added Arturo Artucilla, also a board member of CFA, an organization of grassroots farmers in the Municipality of Magallon in Negros Occ
idental.
Greenpeace has documented projects on millions of farms in more than 50 countries around the world, and findings reveal that switching to sustainable farming methods increases harvests by an average of 73% — showing that the world’s poor can feed themselves by using cheap, locally-available technologies that will not damage the environment.
Greenpeace is an independent, global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment, and to promote peace.
Sessions held to train corn farmers how to reduce aflatoxins in corn farms
by Rachelle M. Nessia
The trainings are being conducted in line with Deparment of Agriculture’s Corn Quality Management of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program.
In the sessions, participating farmers and corn technicians were trained on how to reduce the presence of aflatoxins in their corn farms and other agricultural commodities such as peanuts, potatoes, crops and other mixed feeds.
The trainings for Districts 3 and 2 were held on August 11 and 12, respectively while the training for District 1 will be on August 14, 2009.
PAO Information Officer Nitz Bangay said that the seminars are vital for corn farmers in the province as aflatoxin is a toxic substance that pose a risk to the health of humans and livestock alike.
Since this is carcinogenic, aflatoxins will result to liver damage, said Bangay. (PIA)
Arroyo happy over progress of Iloilo flood control project
Arroyo made the statement after she was briefed by Public Works and Highways USEC Rafael Yabut and a brief ocular view of the Anilao Bridge as part of the Iloilo Floodway.
The President said she hoped the project will solve the flooding problem in Iloilo when it is completed soon.
In welcoming Arroyo, Pavia Mayor Arcadio Gorriceta said they were thankful to the President for giving them the project and all the other support for the rehabilitation of the portions damaged by Typhoon Frank.
Actual accomplishments of Package I of the IFCP as of July is 79.69 percent, while that of Package 2 is 86.57 percent, while Anilao Bridge as part of Package 1, which was visited by the President, had an accomplishment of 98.18 percent.The project consists of building of floodways and river improvement.
Engr. Al Fruto of the Project Management Office (PMO) said Package 1 costs about P1.5B and includes the construction of the jaro Floodway under the Hanjin Construction.
It also includes the construction of four bridges to divert flooding of the Jaro River as well as the improvement of the Tigum and Aganan rivers.
Package 2, costing more than P1 billion involves the construction of the Carpenter’s Bridge, already 98.1 percent completed, as well as involves the improvement of the Upper Ingore Creek, Jaro, river Mouth and the Iloilo River.
Included in the IFCP is also the development of relocation sites for project affected families.
Meanwhile, DPWH Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane said the completion of the Flood control project will spare residents of Iloilo City and its suburban areas yearly losses from flooding, which reach almost P5 billion. (PIA6/ESS)
DENR continues ‘global watch’
Grace Molina, Public Information Officer of the DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office here, said they have embarked on an Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign about the phenomenon involving communities, schools and organizations.
Recently, Molina said they have added the gender component into the campaign.
After the initial series of briefings and lectures conducted as part of the campaign, Molina said they are also ready to conduct similar activities in coordination with other groups that are interested to know and understand about climate change and global warming, its causes and effects, actions taken by the Philippine government and United Nations (UN)-led international institutions, and what individuals can do to help mitigate and avert the phenomenon.
DENR also has adopted other strategies to complement the information campaign such as tree planting, clean-up activities and enforcement of environmental laws.
It also looks at environmental problems such as solid wastes as source of livelihood for communities through the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) which DENR is encouraging local government units to establish.
This particular strategy was stressed by DENR Secretary Lito Atienza in his briefing on climate change in Libacao, Aklan where he accompanied President Arroyo in her visit to the municipality last week to inaugurate a P40-million river revetment wall flood control project and distribute Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program cash grants and funding assistance for DENR’s Upland Development Program.
The Aklan town’s hinterland barangays share borders with the provinces of Capiz, Iloilo and Antique. These areas are important watershed zones. (PIA)
DA ups support to corn industry
DA Assistant Secretary and GMA Corn Program Director Dennis Araullo said one particular strategy it is implementing is to allow farmers to produce quality feed and food grade corn and to reduce post harvest losses from 15 to seven percent through the provision of post harvest facilities for growers in major producing areas across the country.
DA’s move complements the ongoing thrust of the National Food Authority (NFA) to buy as much of the corn produce of Filipino farmers in keeping with its commitment to them.
NFA administrator Jessup P. Navarro said the NFA is targeting to buy 4.6 million bags of yellow corn grains equivalent to P2.8 billion and 1.3 million bags of white corn grains worth P892 million until December this year.
With the government focusing on domestic corn buying, aside from the support price of P12.30 per kilogram, the NFA, Navarro said is also granting additional incentives of P0.20 per kg each for drying and transport and another P0.30 per kg for cooperative development. “This translates to an effective P13 per kg buying price for clean and dry corn kernels,” he cited.
“We are confident that at this buying price, the farmers will have better income and this will entice them to sell their produce to the agency,” he added.
Navarro said that by end of July, cumulative corn procurement of NFA has already reached 383,426 bags or an equivalent of 19,171 metric tons.
For this year, Araullo said DA is aiming to complete the construction of 50 corn postharvest processing and trading centers and 44 village-type corn cob dryers in strategic corn-growing areas all over the country.
To date, there are already nine processing and trading centers operating in the country; one each in Kabacan, North Cotabato; Banga, South Cotabato; Malungon, Saranggani Province; Sergio Osmeña, Zamboanga del Norte; Sagay, Negros Occidental; Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga del Sur; Carmen Rosales, Pangasinan; Bantay, Ilocos Sur; and Talacag, Bukidnon, which provide drying and marketing services to thousands of corn farmers. (PNA/PIA)
Rotary Club of Dumaguete to plant trees in critical watershed area
by Rachelle M. Nessia
Dumaguete City (13 August) — In an effort to improve the waters supply in Valencia and its neighboring towns, the Rotary Club of Dumaguete together with the Dumaguete City Water District and the local government of Valencia will hold a tree planting activity in Sitio Marulay, Brgy. Lunga in Valencia town.
According to Des Tilos, Valencia Information Officer, Sitio Marulay is identified as a critical watershed area for Dumaguete. “Dumaguete City’s water supply mostly comes from Marulay,” he said.
For the past years, DCWD personnel has been regularly conducting tree-planting activities in this area, Tilos added. (PIA/RMN)
Campaign for male participation in family planning breaks ground in Dumaguete
by Rachelle M. Nessia
Dumaguete City (13 August) — The campaign for active male involvement in reproductive health and family planning is now underway in the city with the recent formation of Male in Action for Responsible Parenthood (MARPA).
This was disclosed by Provincial Population Officer Jeanette Villarubia in a recent Kapihan forum held to mark Family Planning Month this August.
Organized by the city government, MARPA was inducted on August 7 by Mayor Agustin Perdices, said Villarubia.
The group is an offshoot of Ayungon town’s Male Advocates and Champion for Reproductive Health Options (MACHO), a pioneering group of fathers organized on the idea that “men talking to men” is a more effective way of increasing advocacy and awareness levels among males in reproductive health and family planning.
MACHO is composed of local legislators as well as vasectomized clients and they hold forums for other males in said town discussing about the benefits and importance of family planning whether modern or natural, reproductive health and responsible parenthood.
Villarubia disclosed that there are now 368 males vasectomized in Ayungon and 450 in La Libertad town.
With a similar group now working in Dumaguete City, Villarubia said she expects more male involvement in family planning activities in the city.
City Agriculturist and former vice mayor and religious group leader William Ablong stressed that men should not only be involved but should lead in family planning. “I am against male involvement and participation in family planning because the role of the male is that of leading in family planning, not just participation,” stressed Ablong.
Planning the number and spacing of children is an act of responsible parenthood and should be undertaken by the father, said Ablong.
He disclosed that Catholic Church here is planning to set up a natural family planning clinic.
The family and life apostolate recently held a meeting wherein modules for the proposed natural family planning clinic were developed.
The Catholic Church only accepts natural family planning methods such as abstention. “Natural family planning has been proven effective without side effects,” stressed Ablong, who said that that it is wrong to use contraceptives in family planning as contraceptive drugs and devices lead to abortion.
He however stressed that the Catholic Church does not seek to impose its teachings on other religious denominations. “We just propose this for non-Catholics, but for Catholics, this (natural family planning) is what is being taught,” said Ablong.
Laume Quijote of the City Social Welfare and Development Office in the same forum revealed that the national government, like the Catholic Church, is also advocating the adoption of natural family planning.
Quijote revealed that the government has dished out P96,000 to fund the first batch of barangay classes on natural family planning in the city.
Another funding support in the same amount from the national government for the next batch of classes is also expected, said Quijoted.
Villarubia added that the provincial government likewise received a budget of P112,00 per town here for the same set of activities. (PIA/RMN)
