E-trikes to reduce fuel import, address climate change
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, February 24 (PIA) -- Apart from reducing the country’s dependence on imported petroleum, the E-Trike Project of the Department of Energy (DOE) is also an initiative of the national government to mitigate the effects of climate change.
DOE-Visayas Field Office Regional Director Antonio Labios bared that the government, through the DOE, is promoting the use of e-trikes because fuel consumption is much less and no smoke emissions that cause air pollution are emitted.
“Instead of buying fuel which is quite expensive, e-trike drivers only spend for the recharging of the battery which is less than P100,” Labios said.
Labios cited the case of Mandaluyong City, the pilot site of the first e-trikes operating in the country where e-trike drivers only spend P50 per day for recharging their battery.
“Imagine the savings e-trike drivers earn because they no longer buy fuel. And if you translate that to the adoption of e-trikes nationwide, then the country will have significant savings on fuel importation,” Labios said.
Labios said the incessant rising prices of oil in the global market is making the country captive to costly fuel since as we are over 90 percent dependent on imported petroleum.
“We need to fast track measures to lessen the dependence of imported fuel and the adoption of e-trikes is one of them,” Labios declared.
Labios said promoting the use of e-trikes hopes to see the gradual phase-out of conventional tricycles although he did not disclose a timeline.
On top of reducing our dependence on fuel import, e-trikes is also environmentally-friendly because it does not discharge smoke so no carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere, Labios further said.
Carbon dioxide is one of the major greenhouse gases that destroy the earth’s ozone layer contributing to global warming and climate change, this is learned.
Unlike conventional tricycles with combustion engines that produces smoke, e-trikes produces no noise and zero emissions, Labios said. (PIA-Cebu)
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DENR-7 intensifies the campaign against environmental law violators
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, February 23 (PIA) -- Operators of wood and lumber businesses in Central Visayas only have until March 2012 to get a permit to operate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
DENR-7 regional executive director Maximo Dichoso said Dichoso said that 67 percent (or 321) of the 479 wood processing plant and lumber dealer establishments in the region are operating without the necessary permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7).
“We are giving those operators to fully comply with the requirements of the forestry laws until March 2012, after such time we shall implement the closure of certain establishments for non-compliance,” he added.
An inventory by the community environment and natural resources offices (CENROs) of the said establishments showed that only 81 firms in Cebu operate with permit, while 188 firms (70 percent) are without permits. In Bohol, 31 have permits while 50 have none.
The survey also revealed the following: Negros Oriental, 58 percent of 108 have no permits; and in Siquijor, 95% or 20 out of 21 do not have permits to operate.
Wood processing plant permit is the license to operate sawmills, mini-sawmills, re-saw permits, plywood/veneer plants, blockboards, fiberboard, particle board and other wood based panel plants and wood treating plants, according to the DENR. (mbcn/hfg/PIA-7 & DENR-7)
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MGB-7: Road cracks and cave-in caused by heavy rains, other factorsBarangay under high landslide susceptibility classification
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, February 23 (PIA) -- An initial study made by a team of geologists from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) revealed that several factors including heavy rainfall led to cracks and caving in of portions of a road in a Cebu barangay.
The team went to Barangay Alpaco in Naga City in response to a request from the city government for MGB to immediately inspect a one (1) meter wide crack in, and partial cave-in of, a road in the hilly village.
The request was made in a letter dated February 20, 2012.
The said barangay was classified under “high landslide susceptibility” category in a geo-hazard assessment conducted by the MGB in August last year, according to MGB-7 regional rirector Loreto Alburo.
Results of the 2011 geologists’ assessment indicated that Barangay Alpaco had mostly limestone materials that are porous and with high capacity of water absorption.
Based on MGB’s initial assessment, the cracks and caving in of the road could be due to the combination of several factors such as heavy rainfall, the type of soil (mostly limestone), presence of ground cracks which became bigger due to the 6.9 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks last February 6 and thereafter.
Aside from Barangay Alpaco, five other barangays in Naga City identified under high landslides susceptibility classification are Tagjaguimit, Balirong, Mayana, Naalad, and Cogon.
Meanwhile, eight barangays with moderate to high landslide susceptibility include Cantao-an, Lutac, Lanas, Bairan, Patag, Jaguimit, Uling, and Tina-an.
Twenty barangays were classified under “moderate to high vulnerability to flooding,” namely, Lutac, Lanas, Bairan, Patag, Balirong, Uling, Tina-an, Inayagan, Poblacion North, Pangdan, Tangke, Colon, Mainit, Jaguimit, Tuyan, Naalad, East Poblacion, Central Poblacion, West Poblacion, and Langtad.
MGB-7 aims to reduce, if not totally mitigating the destructive effects and impacts of natural hazards on the people.
Alburo also encouraged people to observe for saturated ground or seeps and sunken or displaced road surfaces; develop early warning system; and install slope protection measure along creek embankments that are affected by scouring during heavy rains.
“Communities who are living near or at the foot of the mountain or riverbanks to be on guard and cautious at all times, we don’t know when heavy rains occur and many geo-hazards are rain-induced,” Alburo concluded. (mbcn/hfg/PIA-7 & DENR-7)
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Maintaining Cebu as FMD, avian-flu free a top priority, DA 7 says
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, February 23 (PIA) -- Maintaining Cebu as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and avian-flu free is one of the program priorities of the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 under its Agri-Pinoy Livestock Program.
DA 7 Regional Livestock Coordinator Joel Elumba bared that Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas has been internationally declared free from FMD and avian flu by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or the World Organization for Animal Health.
“Since early 2000, we have already been declared free from FMD and avian flu diseases which makes us eligible to export to other countries,” Elumba said.
The livestock program is one of the four major components under the DA’s Agricultural Roadmap in Response to Growing Demand and Climate Change 2011-2016.
Elumba said that late last year, Cebu exported 124 goats and sheep and three turkeys as well to Palau Island in the Western Pacific Ocean.
“We are also currently processing the papers of a company in Japan applying for a certificate to import chicken from Cebu,” Elumba declared.
Elumba said that Cebu and the rest of the region may not be totally sufficient in rice supply but for livestock, the region posted positive growth for the past three years. He however, did not specify the figures.
The DA 7 regional livestock coordinator said that they are regularly monitoring the livestock industry in the region to ensure the region remains totally free from the dreaded FMD and avian influenza diseases.
“The livestock industry is actually one of the growth drivers of Central Visayas,” Elumba disclosed.
“Weekly, we export 300 to 500 live heads of carabao, cattle and goats to Metro Manila,” Elumba added.
Cebu is the central market of the livestock supply in the region, this is said.
Amid the threat of climate change, Elumba on the other hand, encouraged farmers to raise livestock such as carabao, cow and cattle because they only feed on grass
There is a huge potential of Cebu and the region in becoming exporters of livestock such as chicken, goats, sheep and turkeys, Elumba said.
Meanwhile, the Philippines last year has already been declared free from FMD by the OIE and also free from avian flu as poultry products are now being exported to Japan.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said such declaration will boost the nation’s efforts to improve its livestock and swine industry. (PIA-Cebu)