Today's News

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

8,000 dogs vaccinated in LGU anti-rabies campaignrabies-free Mandaue City in 2013
By Fayette C. Ri�en

CEBU CITY, March 21 (PIA) – The local government of Mandaue City has conducted a massive free vaccination campaign to make the city rabies-free by 2013.

Observing Anti-Rabies Month this March, the Mandaue City Veterinary Office (MCVO) vaccinated and registered a total of 8,475 dogs in all 27 barangays.

The MCVO also regularly conducts awareness campaign on responsible pet ownership, and free registration and vaccination for all pets.

“Pet owners can save a total of P250, i.e., P100 for the registration and P150 for the vaccination fee,” according to city veterinarian Dr. Daisy Penetrante.

The MCVO has registered and vaccinated even as there are only minimal cases of cats with rabies virus.

Pentrante hailed the support of the Melinda Gates Foundation for donating around 200 anti-rabies vials. One vial is good for ten pets.

“With this development I am very confident that we can hit our target to be rabies-free by next year,” Penetrante said.

Under RA 9482 or an Act Providing for the Control and Elimination of Human and Animal Rabies, all local government units (LGUs) are mandated to properly immunize and register all dogs in their respective localities. (PIA-Cebu)


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MGB-7, industrial sand and gravel operators to put up mine rehab fund
By Hazel F. Gloria

CEBU CITY, March 21 (PIA) -- The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-7) in Central Visayas and five industrial sand and gravel (ISAG) permit holders operating within the Sanpangdaku River in Toledo City, Cebu have signed a memorandum of agreement on March 20 to set up a Mine Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) of half a million pesos. 

MGB-7 regional director Loreto Alburo explained that the Mine Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) was put up to cover expenses for the environmental monitoring and indemnification of damages caused by the project and to sustain rehabilitation of any adverse effect from mining operation or activity.

The P500,000 Mine Rehab fund was collected from the five industrial sand and gravel operators to be used for physical and social rehabilitation of areas and communities affected by the sand and gravel extraction and processing operations

Each ISAG permit holder was required to contribute P100,000 for the MRF and it was maintained in a government depository bank, Alburo added. 

Alburo identified these ISAG operators within the Sapangdaku River covering portions of seven barangays in Toledo City as Maria Celeste Dolino with13.5421hectares; Carino Obiso, 9.5304 hectares; Ophelio Dolino, 5.24 hectares; Humphrey Benitez, 8.3619 hectares; and Gina Besañes, 7.7640 hectares.

As contained in the MOA, the permit holder shall establish and maintain an MRF as a reasonable environmental deposit to ensure availability of funds for its satisfactory compliance with its environmental commitments.

The MRF shall be in three forms: Monitoring Trust Fund (MRF), Rehabilitation Cash Fund (RCF), and the Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Fund (FMRDF).

With the establishment of the MRF, a Mine Rehabilitation Fund Committee (MRFC) composed of MGB-7 regional director as chair with DENR-7 regional executive director as co-chair with Toledo City Mayor and the president of Toledo City Environmental Protection Assn.(TOCEPA) as members.

Relative to this the MGB-7 constituted a Multi-partite Monitoring Team (MMT) to conduct a periodic monitoring on the compliance of certain environmental provisions. (mbcn/hfg/PIA-7& DENR-7)

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RAFI sends relief assistance to Sendong victims in CDO
By Hazel F. Gloria

CEBU CITY, March 21 (PIA) -- A Cebu-based non-government organization, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) donated P500,000 to Xavier Science Foundation in Cagayan de Oro City for the victims of Typhoon Sendong that hit Northern Mindanao on December 15, 2011.

RAFI allocated the funds to provide basic typhoon victims with basic items, such as food, clothing, water, and medicine.

Twenty-five thousand pesos of the relief assistance was used to buy 100 pieces of filled-up five gallons of mineral water, while the P260,000 was spent for 2,000 pieces of five-gallon empty water containers, and anoher P215,000 was given as cash donation for the food and medicine supplies for the typhoon-victims.

The donation supplemented Xavier Science Foundation’s relief operations for the individuals and families affected by the flash floods brought about by the typhoon. 

A total of 38,767 individuals from 6,738 families in 29 barangays of Cagayan de Oro City, the area that was hit the hardest, benefitted from the relief assistance under RAFI’s Grants program. 

For more information about Grants, please contact 418-7234 loc. 205 and look for Jan Montilla.(mbcn/hfg/PIA-7 & RAFI)