Energy conservation seminar in Cebu to gather 300 participantsActivity to prelude Earth Hour 2012 to combat climate change
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, March 20 (PIA) -- Around 300 participants with multi-sectoral representation from the academe, households, non-government organizations, local government units and business industry will gather in Cebu City on Friday, March 23 for a half-day seminar on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program.
The activity, a prelude to the Earth Hour 2012 Global Campaign, aims to raise public awareness to combat climate change through energy efficiency, renewable energy and climate adaptation.
Officials from the Department of Energy (DOE) 7 and the World Wide Fund (WWF) Philippines will be the resource speakers for the activity at the social hall of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD).
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is invited to deliver the welcome message during the seminar.
Up for briefing include topics on Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation, Earth House 2012, Household Enercon Tips and Know Your Electric Bill and How to Read Your Electric Meter.
The activity is undertaken by the Philippine Information Agency 7 in partnership with the DOE and the WWD-Philippines.
Cebu meanwhile, is one of the three identified sites for the simultaneous WWF Earth Hour switch-off ceremonies on March 31, Saturday, next week.
The Cebu ceremony will be held at the Fort San Pedro where a short program will be held prior to the conduct of the actual one-hour switch-off.
Earth Hour 2012 is a worldwide campaign that calls to action the continuing battle against global warming by switching off their lights for one hour from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on March 31.
The Earth Hour campaign initiated by the WWF started six years ago or in 2007 in Sydney Australia. The Philippines joined the global drive the year after and has been implementing the one-hour switch-off ever since.
Last year, around 18 million Filipinos switched off their lights in support of the campaign while over one billion joined the drive worldwide. (FCR-PIA7 Cebu)
============
Trade secretary to meet with Cebu biz leaders
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, March 20 (PIA) – Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo will meet with Cebu businessmen tomorrow afternoon to talk on the Philippines’ first quarterly economic assessment and the economic forecast for the year during an Economic and Investor Confidence Forum.
Domingo is in Cebu today to launch the Philippine Business Registry (PBR) System and will keynote the forum tomorrow afternoon to be attended by members of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI).
Newly-elected CCCI President Prudencio Gesta will welcome the participants as key business leaders will talk on the latest business climate in the country and the factors to spur its growth to increase investors’ confidence as well as overcoming challenges.
Hans B. Sicat, the president and the chief executive officer of the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. will present the ‘Market Outlook and Building Investor Confidence’ while Augusto Cosio, president of the First Metro Asset Management, Inc. will talk on ‘Financial Markets in a Growing Domestic Economy.’
A presentation on the ‘Philippine Economy and Risks to Sustainable Growth/ The Eurozone Threat’ will be done by Matthew Koder, head of Asia-Pacific Global Corporate and Investment Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Antonio Cintura, director of the Economic Research of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will tackle the topic ‘2012 Interest Rate Directions: Spurring PH’s Economic Growth.’
Panel discussions and social networking is expected after all presentations have been made.
Amid the global economic challenges, the forum aims to update the local businessmen here on the economic policies of the current administration in fast tracking economic progress and how Cebu and the country’s business sector can face and overcome such global challenges. (PIA7 Cebu)
============
DENR to electronic on land records management system
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, March 19 (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) in Central Visayas will soon adopt a computerized land records management system to improve its land information and services in the region.
Last year the agency has DENR-7 adopted the land administration and management system (LAMS), said regional executive director Maximo Dichoso. This was aimed at providing a uniform system in the computerization and linking of land information pertaining to cadastral maps, approved land survey, public land applications, and titles.
“It also identifies correction of missing, erroneous and conflicting land records; and provide an effective management through database and imaging technology by computerized inspection, verification and approval of survey returns,” Dichoso added.
The establishment of an integrated land information system will support effective land titling activities, and any future collaboration with other sectors of DENR and other agencies and the dissemination of electronic land information to local government units and other users.
LAMS is a system-enhanced land record management facility that ensures integrity of land access to land information such as cadastral maps, isolated survey plans, public land applications, patents and titles.
It allows quick processing of land transactions and updating of land records as well as track applications for processing.
Dichoso stated that DENR Secretary Ramon JP Paje stressed the importance in managing land information for accurate and complete access by stakeholders including government, private, and public sectors.
More than 100 units of computers and scanners are due for delivery this week for distribution to the 12 field offices of DENR for this project.
“We want to ensure the integrity of land information through continuous effort of cleansing the land records of inconsistencies, duplication, errors and fraud,” he said.
He also articulated that this will improve the reliability of records and will add further value to the efficiency obtained through computer assisted land records.
For 2012, about P3.862 million was allocated for the computerization of some 512,577 lands-related documents under the land records management system in Central Visayas.
Cebu has the most number of targets with 292,246 land records or 57.02 out of 512,577 with a budget of P2.42 million.
Bohol has 115,475 land-related documents or 22.53 percent with a project cost of P750,000.
Negros Oriental with 83,275 land records or 16.25 percent to be computerized with an allocation of P542T while Siquijor has 21,581 or 4.21 percent documents with a budget share of P150,000. (mbcn/hfg/PIA-7 & DENR-7)