World Water Day anchors on water cooperation
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, March 14 (PIA) — The celebration of World Water Day this March 22 focuses on Water Cooperation as 2013 has been declared as the International Year of Water Cooperation. The aim of the declaration is to draw attention to the benefits of cooperation in water management.
This was revealed by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Eastern Visayas in a press statement.
Maribel Munsayac, EMB regional information section head, said “Water is a shared resource and its management needs to take into account a wide variety of conflicting interests that provide opportunities for cooperation among users.”
The promotion of water cooperation is a delicate balancing act which needs an interdisciplinary approach which considers cultural, educational, and scientific factors and such dimensions as legal, religious, ethical, social, political, institutional and economic.
“Tubig Para sa Lahat, Lahat Para sa Tubig,” is the local theme for the 2013 World Water Day. (PIA 8)
DAR-7 achieves 121% distribution targets in 2012
CEBU CITY, March 12 (PIA) — Department of Agrarian Reform in Region 7 (DAR-7) director Rodolfo Inson, during the year-end assessment and budget planning held Feb. 1 in Cebu City, commended his officials and employees at all levels for their efforts made for having achieved 121 perent of Region 7 target.
DAR-7 reported processing 5,954 hectares (ha) of agricultural land, exceeding its target of 4,938 ha under CARP’s Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD) last year.
For the same period, DAR-7 distributed 4,385 ha, said Atty. Johnson Sinco, assistant regional director for operations (ARDO).
Out of the distributed agricultural land under CARP, Bohol province has distributed 1,394 ha benefiting 1,290 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
Cebu province distributed 1,016 ha with 933 ARBs, while Negros Oriental had the biggest share of land distributed 1,976 ha with 2,123 ARBs.
Inson reminded that LAD component is the essential tool of the CARP in bringing social justice to the farmers by giving to qualified ARBs agricultural lands and security of tenure.
For this year 2013, DAR-7 will continue to distribute its mandated LAD target of 4,883 ha of agricultural lands.
From 1972 to 2012, DAR-7 had distributed 181,878 ha of agricultural land benefiting 140,781 farmer beneficiaries. (rmn/HFG-PIA 7/DAR-7)
Iloilo to plant 1million trees in 2012
ILOILO CITY, July 16 (PIA) — The governor of Iloilo said one million tree seedlings would be planted in the province this year on the second year of the program of the provincial government dubbed Action for Re-greening and Transformation (ART).
The NGP aims to rejuvenate the country’s forest covers with one billion trees by 2016.
The governor led the contingents of local government employees and participants from national government agencies, schools, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, business sector and civil society organizations in planting thousands of tree seedlings along river banks in Barangays Sarapan, Bayan and Agtambo of Iloilo’s lone component city.
The activity is being complemented by separate tree planting activities in the different municipalities of the province.
Defensor cited as an example the activity held by the municipality of Leon wherein 45,000 tree seedlings were planted. Other towns, he said, have also started their own activities.
A similar major activity as the July 14 ART tree planting will be held for the annual “Piyesta sa Kakahuyan” in September to achieve the one-million tree target for 2012.
ART was launched in 2011 as one of the reforestation initiatives of the provincial government, which aside from the “Piyesta sa Kakahuyan” also has a similar program covering the province’s watershed areas. It targets to plant one million trees in the province every year.
Defensor told the participants that 65 percent of the tree seedlings planted last year under the ART program survived. Likewise, he said that as a result of the reforestation activities launched by the provincial government, the forest of the province has improved from two percent to 12 percent.
“We will continue to upgrade the forest cover of Iloilo,” said Defensor.
He also thanked the participants from various sectors as well as Passi City for hosting the tree planting activity. Joining the governor at the activity were his wife Cosette, Passi City Vice Mayor Joey Palmares, Punong Barangays Armando Nueva of Sarapan, Melchor Padernal of Bayan and Jose Dennis Padernal of Agtambo, other local government officials, and heads of participating groups. (JCM/JSC-PIA6)
Bohol’s tarsiers now back in their natural habitat
by Hazel Gloria
CEBU CITY, Dec. 6 (PIA) — The once held captive and maltreated tarsiers or Tarsius Syrichta in Bohol are now back in their natural habitat in the towns of Corella and Sikatuna, Bohol.
The consultations were triggered by a report from the Tarsius Project of the Czech Republic, presented by Dr. Milada Petru.
Petru is a field zoologist from the Decin Zoo in the Czech Republic, who conducted a study on the tarsiers in Bohol, made possible thru a grant from the Czech Republic in 2009.
She pointed out how the shy, nocturnal animals that thrive in Bohol island are allegedly abused and cruelly mishandled.
The study found that tarsiers were living in appalling conditions with no space to hide and rest, poorly planted, noisy and open, and the behavioral rules on the proper handling and care of the animals were not followed.
DENR-7 Regional Executive Director Maximo Dichoso said the tarsiers are subjected to stress since many visitors or tourists want to interact with them by day, disrupting their nocturnal lifestyle.
This contact alters their biological processes making them weak and vulnerable to diseases, he said.
Results of Petru’s study on the condition of Bohol’s tarsiers were submitted to Environment Secretary Ramon JP Paje who promptly ordered a moratorium on the issuance of wildlife farm permits (WFP) late last year.
Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatt and the local chief executives in the province, along with members of the Bohol Tourism Association, reportedly concurred and supported the findings of Dr. Petru.
After the consultations, an association by all Tarsier Centers was created, during which stakeholders agreed to transfer all the captive tarsiers into a 167-hectare Tarsier Conservation in Bohol.
The conservation site is manned by German Palapar of the Tarsier Centers Association with DENR-7 providing technical assistance.
According to Dichoso, tarsiers are classified as “near threatened” in the International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) List of Threatened Species, requiring adequate protection and conservation.
Prohibited acts include hunting, killing, wounding, collecting or possessing of Tarsier for commercial purposes and the destruction of its habitat.
“However, possession of the same for educational, scientific or conservation research may be allowed with DENR clearance or approval,” he said.
The Philippine Tarsier’s habitat is the second growth, secondary forest, and primary forest from sea level to 700 m (2,300 ft).
Its habitat also includes tropical rainforest with dense vegetation and trees that offer it protection like tall grasses, bushes and bamboo shoots.
Tarsiers prefer dense, low-level vegetation in secondary forests, with perching sites averaging 2 meters above the ground.
It is the smallest primate in the world and can be found in Bohol, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao.
Meanwhile, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed between DENR-7 represented by Dichoso and the Wings of Serenity, Inc. on November 21, 2011, for the establishment of a Tarsier breeding and research center in Bilar, Bohol.
Cemex Philippines and Conservation International also signed a MOA with DENR-7 to conduct research on Tarsiers within and outside Bohol.
With the transfer of Tarsiers, the conservation area has been collecting a daily income of P50,000 per day and tourists are now limited to observing and taking pictures. (PIA-7/HFG/RMN/DENR-7)
Negros Oriental gov to award P1-M to village with most trees planted
by Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, July 20 (PIA) — The village that grows the most number of trees under the pocket forest program conceived by Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo will receive P1 million from the provincial government.
The cash prize is aimed at further motivating communities to see to it that the planted trees are grown. “The cash award will also be used to implement environmental projects in the barangay,” said Capitol Information Officer Adrian Sedillo in a statement.
Early this year, the governor has allocated around P5.5 million for the creation of pocket forests in all 557 barangays across the province, with each village given P10,000 to undertake the project.
The mini-forest project is spurred by the governor’s aim of to protect and improve the environment in the province and as a local counterpart to the national government’s greening program. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
Capiz to plant 300,000 trees in 2011
by Jemin B. Guillermo
ROXAS CITY, Capiz, June 18 (PIA) – More than 300,000 trees are expected to be planted and grown in Capiz this year.
Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Dionisio Molina, Jr. said that with the 176,000 target trees to be planted in the 235 hectares of land in Capiz for the National Greening Program, they expect to double said number as many local government units and private groups have planned to do the same.
He revealed that Western Visayas DENR Regional Director Julian Amador will grace said occasion here with Capiz Governor Victor Tanco and other dignitaries.
Immediately after the program and ceremonial tree planting at the Villareal Stadium here, the group composed will proceed to Catao Dam in Cudian, Ivisan town for the planting of about 2,000 trees.
Molina said that they are expecting more than 200 participants for said launching activity in the province.
Recently, President Benigno S. Aquino III led the launching of the National Greening Program in Manila to regain the country’s depleting forest areas and ensure self-sufficiency in its timber needs.
The program consolidates all reforestation efforts by the government and would be carried out by the DENR as the lead agency, in close coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Department of Agrarian Reform.
Under said program, the government is targeting to plant and grow 1.5 billion trees covering about 1.5 million hectares of lands in public domain from 2011 to 2016.
Areas that will be covered under the program include forest lands, mangrove and protected areas, ancestral domains, civil and military reservations, urban areas and abandoned mine sites. (JCM/JBG/PIA6-Capiz)
Everyday is Earth Day at this home depot
TACLOBAN CITY Leyte, April 26 (PIA) – Businessman Robert Yu had been thinking of using old newspapers as packaging material instead of the usual plastic bags. One day he thought of giving old newspapers to his employees with which their families can make paper bags. Yu then bought the bags from them.
This way Yu, who owns the Leyte Home Depot, hit two birds with one stone. He gave livelihood to the families of his employees and promoted the concept of “green shopping.”
His effort did not go unnoticed during the Earth Day celebrations this year, as the business exemplified the theme “Earth Day Everyday.”
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Executive Director Primitivo Galinato expressed hope that other entrepreneurs in Eastern Visayas will follow the example of Mr. Yu.
Green shopping
Here are some tips to help save the environment.
Green shopping means buying smart. Shop with the environment in mind. This means buying products that help conserve natural resources, save energy, and prevent waste.
It can also mean not buying things one doesn’t need. By educating oneself about the products he or she buys, one can make a difference in protecting the environment.
Look for the yellow ENERGY STAR® logo when buying electronics such as TVs, CD players, DVD players, and computers. ENERGY STAR is a program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products.
Buy recycled. Buying items made with recycled-content materials means that fewer natural resources, such as trees, were used to produce the products. Products made from recycled paper, plastic, and other materials are usually easy to recognize in the store—just read the labels.
Try starting with school supplies. Many stores carry recycled notebooks, pens, and other products. For every 42 notebooks made with 100 percent recycled paper, one tree is saved. (PIA 8)
Forest, village, sea project launches in Silay City
Bacolod City (22 June) — Forest, Village, Sea (“Mori-Sato-Umi”) a joint project of IKAW-AKO Japan-Negros Partnership for Environment Protection and the Silay City government was officially launched in Silay City recently.
The project will be locally called as “Parenting a Tree” which will cover river banks, mangrove areas, government land belonging to the integrated socialized forestry, and vacant lots of the Republic of the Philippines.
Japan International Cooperation Agency will be extending two million pesos assistance to the technical cooperation for grassroots projects on watershed reforestation and environmental education programs ? introduction of ecotourism.
The groups involved in the project are boy scouts, girl scouts, mangrove planters, ISF holders, students, barangay residents and environment groups.
Ver Pacete, tourism officer of Silay and Leo Canson, IKAW-AKO chairman in Silay, have been tasked to promote the area through ecotourism program which include sentimental journeys, nature camping, valley trekking, star gazing and horseback riding. (PIA/cad)
DENR notes rise in requests for climate change briefing
by A. Lumaque
Roxas City (20 October) — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) office in Capiz has noted an increase on the request for climate change and global warming orientations in the province.
“We have been in schools and barangays since January this year in response to requests for briefings,” said DENR – Capiz Forest Management Specialist and climate change resource speaker Edwin Borja.
The requests also included the Philippine Information Agency’s (PIA) briefing on climate change and global warming for Capiz Association of Government Public Information Officers, Inc. (CAGPIO) members, government owned and controlled corporations (GOCC) and local government unit (LGU) information officers.
The LGUs will be the frontline agencies in the formulation, planning and implementation of climate change action plans in their respective areas based on the Climate Change Act of 2009 that President Gloria Macapagal–Arroyo is set to sign on October 30.
The law, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, aims to mainstream climate change into policy formulation, development panning, and poverty reduction programs. It also creates a Climate Change Commission (CCC) to coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the programs and action plans of government relating to climate change.
The CCC will be headed by the President. It will be composed of three Commissioners, one of whom shall be the vice-chairperson.
The Commission is mandated to formulate “a framework strategy on climate change,” which will serve as the basis for a program for climate change planning, research and development, extension, and monitoring of activities to protect vulnerable communities. (PIA)
DENR experts warn of dire effects of climate change
Negros Occ. (8 September) — Climate change will bring about catastrophic effects on health, agriculture and livelihood of the people around the world unless appropriate measures are taken to reverse or adapt to its effects.
Provincial Environment and Management Officer (PEMO) and Lawyer Edwin Banal said warnings are up for possible rise in skin cancers, cataracts and other related diseases due to the continuing heating up of the planet.
Speaking on climate change during the opening of the Journalism Seminar-Workshop of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) at the Grand Regal Hotel, Abanil said extreme weather- flooding and drought should be expected as the environment reacts to natural and man-made destructions made on the environment. The training runs September 8 to 10.
Global warming he said is the rise in temperature brought about by the greenhouse gasses as a result, partly, by man’s excessive use of fossil fuel or gasoline that emits carbon dioxide.
Because of this, scientists have seen a rise in the global temperature of.74 Celsius from 1906 to 2005 while rise in the surface temperature was place at.6 Celcius during 20th century according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The country is most especially vulnerable to the rise is sea level because it is an archipelagic island, he told the 185 campus writers participating in the training.
Malaria, dengue, yellow fever incidents are feared to grow as food shortage becomes a global threat especially in the third world countries.
Many areas of the world will contend with heavy flood while vast tracks of land will be rendered unproductive because of drought.
At the moment the government is doing all it can to mitigate the anticipated challenges of climate change but it can only do so much.
“We need the cooperation of our leaders and the people to meet the desired solutions needed,” he said.
Alarmed by these grave consequences President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order 774 reorganizing the Presidential Task Force on climate change to make the set-up relevant and effective.
At the provincial level the “Task Force Ilahas” is enforcing environmental laws to track down and prosecute violators as massive tree planting activities are held province wide.
He urged school paper organizations to help in educating the community and school on climate change through the press and by whatever means they could effectively spread the dangers the world is facing. (PIA-LOL)
