Greening program to benefit agri sector
By Hazel Gloria
CEBU CITY, January 4 (PIA) --- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) says the government's national greening program will considerably benefit the agriculture sector especially in improving water yield of watersheds.
"It would ensure supply of water to irrigate farmlands," DENR-7 regional executive director Maximo Dichoso said and urged business sectors, academe, non-government organizations and other stakeholders to support the implementation of the National Greening Program (NGP) Central Visayas.
This developed as DENR-7 is set to cover 10,628 hectares this year or an increase of 188.71 percent of its 2011 target of 5,632 hectares covering the four provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Dichoso added that under the NGP, the government seeks to improve the vegetative cover of watersheds that could supply much needed freshwater requirement of the region.
“There is a need to work together for a collaborative greening and maintenance, at the same time promoting the strength of social mobilization and volunteerism through public-private partnership among the various stakeholders to make sure that we can hit the goal of planting 3.523 million seedlings this year,” he said.
By soliciting the help and support of our business sectors, we can ensure that those planted areas will be taken care of and that proper maintenance activities will be provided for with the resources available from them, Dichoso noted.
To recall President Aquino issued EO-26 on February 24, 2011declaring the National Greening Program as government priority initiatives to reduce poverty, promote food security, environmental stability and biodiversity conservation, and enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Specifically, it seeks to plant 1.5 billion seedlings in 1.5 million hectares of public lands nationwide in six years, from 2011 to 2016. This is more than twice the government’s accomplishment for the past 25 years, of about 730,000 hectares.
Dichoso explained that NGP addresses soil erosion, secures a sustainable supply of water and provides additional livelihood for farmers through agroforestry.
Food security is one of the pressing issues facing the Philippines today and widely regarded as highly susceptible to the effects of climate change. Soil erosion is equally problematic due to the country’s geographic conditions, the DENR said.
DENR data showed that about 20 million hectares or two-thirds of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares, are hilly and mountainous, making these areas susceptible to soil erosion.
Soil erosion according to studies directly impact on low crop productivity, reduction of the capacity of water conveyance structures, destruction of wildlife habitat, and destruction of standing crops.(mbcn/hfg/PIA-7 & DENR-7)
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PAGASA-Cebu warns residents in creeks, rivers to be cautious
amid rains for 1st 3 months this year due to La Niña
by Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, January 4 (PIA) – This early, the PAGASA-Mactan has already advised residents living near creeks and rivers in Cebu to be extra cautious as the first three months of this year will experience rainfall due to the La Niña phenomenon.
PAGASA-Mactan Chief Oscar Tabada in a media interview said they already gave evacuation warnings to all stakeholders as Cebu and the rest of the country will witness continued rains from January to March, this year.
Tabada especially warned that the La Niña would bring heavy rains in the Visayas in February and March as he advised those living in danger zones such as creeks, rivers and in landslide and flood-prone areas to be extra vigilant and immediately evacuate their homes.
The PAGASA is expecting five typhoons to enter the country for the first five months this year or from the period January to May.
Eight automatic weather stations (AWS), a gadget that measures the volume of rainfall, have already been placed in Metro Cebu, Bogo City, Bantayan Island and Camotes Island in the northern part of Cebu as well as the provinces of Bohol and Negros Oriental, this is said.
Another AWS is proposed to be stationed at Alegria, a municipality in southern Cebu.
Tabada said a7.5 milliliters of rainfall volume can already trigger landslides and flooding in danger zone areas.
Tabada previously said that since the installation of a weather radar system in Mactan that covers a 500-kilometer range, daily weather bulletins have been issued as part of their early warning signal to community residents living in critical areas at risk of landslides, flashfloods and flooding.
There is a need to heighten disaster consciousness and preparedness in the minds of every Filipino because it is not the responsibility of the government alone but a lookout of every sector in society, Tabada stressed.
PAGASA on the other hand, said the low pressure area located at the East Southeast of General Santos has disorganized and is expected not to intensify into a typhoon, this is said.
Today’s forecast in Cebu is cloudy with sunny periods and light rains becoming moderate until the weekend, according to PAGASA-Mactan. (PIA-Cebu)
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Cebu pre-schoolers in day care centers benefit from educt’l kits
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, JANUARY 4 (PIA) – Thousands of pre-schoolers in the 1,532 day care centers in Cebu have benefited from the educational tool kits provided by the Philippine Councilors’ League – Cebu Chapter.
Cebu Provincial Board Member Carmen Remedios “Ivy” Durano-Meca, PCL-Cebu Chapter Federation president, bared that the P2M worth educational kits contained story books, cassette players, reference books, educational toys, visual materials and 140 songs appropriate for pre-school children.
Durano-Meca said the educational materials can help prepare the pre-schoolers for the K+ 12 program set for implementation by the Dep Ed starting this June.
Pre-school learning is preparatory to elementary education, which Durano-Meca stressed is necessary that pre-school children be provided with learning tools.
The distribution of the educational tool kits began around July last year to the different towns and component cities of the province.
There are at least 30 pre-schoolers in a class in the different day care centers, this is learned.
Out of the 1,532 day care centers however, only 132 have been accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD). (PIA-Cebu)
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Cebu's tourism economy gets a boost in 2011 from “Suroy-Suroy” program
by Amor Saludar
CEBU CITY January 3 (PIA) – Cebu’s tourism economy rose 13 percent higher in 2011 compared to the previous year, the National Statistical Coordinating Board (NSCB) reported.
Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale attributed this positive development to the intensified efforts of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s “Suroy- Suroy sa Sugbo.”
“Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo” is a program of the Cebu Provincial Government where foreign and domestic tourists are treated to the different local tourism sites and unique culture of the Cebuanos by visiting the different towns and cities of the province from south to north.
Tourists are joined by the governor herself to personally conduct the tour and show off the various tourist destinations to the group of visitors.
The same NSCB report stated that 75 percent of the tourists’ pocket money was really spent here in Cebu during their vacation stay in the different tourist destinations of the province.
Magpale declared the program has tremendously contributed in uplifting the economic status of the province due to the increasing volume of tourists that also boosted the income of Cebu. (FCR/AS/PIA-Cebu)
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Mining firms in C. Visayas implement programs to protect the env’t
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, January 3 (PIA) – Mining firms in Central Visayas, mostly based in Cebu have implemented their own programs aimed at protecting the environment as mandated under the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment - Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) 7 Director Loreto Alburo said the law requires mining companies to implement environmental protection and enhancement programs (EPEP).
Based on the MGB 7 record, mining firms spent a total of P186.2M worth of projects related to the protection and enhancement of the environment, Loreto declared.
Environmental protection programs implemented by the mining firms include the rehabilitation of the mined areas and potential land uses of the site as well as environmental protection measures during the actual operation of the mining activity, this is said.
Out of the P186.2M total EPEP implemented, Carmen Copper Corporation in Toledo City spent the biggest share with P156.7M followed by Apo Cement Corp. and Apo Land and Quarry Corp. in the City of Naga with P11.2 million, this is reported.
Taiheiyo Cement Philippines Inc. and Solid Earth Development Corp. in the Municipality of San Fernando in southern Cebu allocated a total of P5.06 M budget for their environmental protection programs.
Other mining companies that also adopted rehabilitation and enhancement programs for the environment included the Philippine Mining Service Corp. and Dolomite Mining Corp. in Alcoy, Cebu with P5.9 M; Philippine Mining Service Corp. and Bohol Limestone Corp. in Garcia-Hernandez town in Bohol with P3.5 M; and P2M from the JLR Construction and Aggregates Inc. in the City of Naga. (PIA-Cebu)
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Cebu City Police sets security measures for upcoming Sinulog Festival
by Amor Saludar
CEBU CITY Jan 03 (PIA) – Security preparations for the upcoming Sinulog Festival are now being drafted by the police here as Cebu celebrates the biggest event of the year --- the Sinulog Festival.
The Sinulog Grand Mardi Gras is set next Sunday, January 15 in Cebu City as hundreds of thousands, both foreign and domestic visitors alike as well as locals are expected to witness the grand parade along the city’s major routes.
In a recent meeting with Police Regional Office-7 director C/Supt. Marcelo Garbo, Cebu City Police Office Director S/ Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe bared his plan to utilize more than 3,000 police personnel that will be scattered throughout the parade routes as well as other Sinulog-related activities prior to the Mardi Gras.
Buenafe said that the more than 1,000 police personnel in the city will be augmented by 2,000 police neophytes from the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) to ensure peace and order amid the hundreds of thousands of crowd that will flock to the streets.
Over 5, 000 criminology students from the different universities in Cebu will also be deployed to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Central Command for crowd control.
Part of the security measures will be the creation of a crisis committee tasked to respond to major alarms and incidents during Sinulog-related events particularly during the actual celebration of the Sinulog grand parade.
It is expected that when the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC) would release the resolution on the total gun ban, this will be implemented in Cebu City starting January 5 until January 25 this year.
Buenafe assured the public that they will intensify the’ Oplan Boga, Oplan Sita’ to strengthen the enforcement of the gun ban implementation so that people carrying illegal firearms will be apprehended. (FCR/AS/PIA-CEBU)
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C. Visayas produces the 1st grads of DAR mediators nationwide
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY , January 2 (PIA) – Central Visayas produced the first graduates nationwide of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) trainings conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
The 37 graduates composed of lawyers, legal officers and municipal agrarian reform officers are now certified ADR mediators after they were given certificates of completion and accreditation as ADR mediators signed by DAR Sec. Virgilio de los Reyes.
The DAR held the series of trainings in compliance with RA 9285 or the country’s law providing for ADR.
Apart from handling mediatable DAR cases, the ADR mediators can also resolve other disputes particularly on land issues.
Only 37 out of the 59 participants within Region 7 were able to complete the trainings done in four phases. The last phase involved included an internship wherein participants were made to handle actual mediation cases in the various towns and cities in Central Visayas .
DAR will continue to hold ADR trainings in other regions throughout the country to be able to provide speedy resolution to DAR-related case and land disputes through professional, skilled and objective ADR mediators, this is said. (PIA-Cebu with PR from DAR)