300,000 Central Visayan households classified as poor
CEBU CITY, Oct 16 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7) Field Office-7 through its National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) has identified 314,654 poor households in Central Visayas.
This accounts for six percent out of the 5.2 million identified poor households in the country.
Most of these poor households are found in rural areas with 76.7 percent while 23.3 percent are in urban areas.
NHTS is an information management system that identifies who and where poor households are in the country.
The NHTS-PR is the first of its kind in the Philippines to give a face and a name to the poor households, DSWD-7 Regional Director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre said.
The beauty of NHTS-PR lies on how focused the system is in identifying the poor households, which eventually become a recipient of social protection programs of different government and non-government agencies like the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Macapobre said.
The database is not only numbers and statistics, but we clearly identify the name of the household, she said.
For the last three years, DSWD has used this data system in implementing different social protection programs such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Sustainable Livelihood Program, rice subsidy, social pension for senior citizen and supplementary feeding for DayCare pupils.
To date, 77 local government units (LGUs) have signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with DSWD along with two national government organizations (NGOs), which benefited from the database through a shared online system.
NHTS-PR data gathering for household assessment began in 2009. A year after an on-demand application and validation was administered to support the household assessments and to address the issues on under coverage and inclusion of non-poor households.
Every four years the data bank is updated. There will be a second assessment next year. (DSWD7/HFG/PIA7)
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31,000 agro-forestry, native trees planted in Central Visayas
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, Oct 15 (PIA) -- A total of 31,466 agroforestry and native tree species were planted as of third quarter this year by mining firms as their contribution to the implementation of the national greening program (NGP) in Central Visayas.
The agency welcomes the active support and cooperation of operating mines and quarries in the region to pursue the “green” agenda of President Aquino and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje as they have the necessary resources for nursery production and seedlings plantation, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-7) Regional Director Loreto Alburo said.
Based on an inventory conducted by a multipartite monitoring team (MMT) as of September 19, the total number of available seedlings produced by the companies is 144,982.
A total of 288.16 hectares or 110.41 percent increase of its 2011’s target of 261 hectares were grown with 145,187 of different native tree species by nine operating mines and quarries.
MGB Acting Director Leo Jasareno issued Memorandum Order Number 2011-03 dated October 11, 2011 on the guidelines in the implementation of the NGP for the mines sector in connection with Executive Order Number 26 or the NGP.
The order aims to ensure the establishment of 34,000 hectares of reforestation areas outside of mining contract or permit areas, within three years from 2011-2013.
“It may be worth mentioning that while the mining companies are contributing very strongly the NGP, they have continued to sustain the MGB’s mining forest program,” he said.
He added that 1,050.714 hectares were reforested since 2001 within the mining contract area.
In Cebu, it includes Naga City, Alcoy and San Fernando while Garcia-Hernandez in Bohol, Ayungon in Negros Oriental and Lazi and Simacolong in Siquijor.
Tree growing and maintenance through the mining forest program was already put in place and these plantations are continuously monitored by an MMT with other environmental programs and projects implemented by the mining companies, Alburo said.
“It has a survival rate of 70 percent,” he said.
President Aquino issued Executive Order 26 declaring the implementation of the NGP as a government priority program to reduce poverty, promote food security, environmental stability and biodiversity conservation and enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation. (DENR7/HFG/PIA7)
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DENR-7 boosts campaign vs wildlife movement in CV
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, Oct 15 (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 has intensified its campaign against the movement of wildlife without appropriate permits or licenses through its wildlife monitoring units (WMUs) in strategic airports and seaports in Central Visayas.
Dr. Isabelo Montejo, DENR-7 regional executive director, said exportation and importation of wildlife will be allowed upon prior issuance of an export or import permit by the DENR in accordance with the necessary requirements.
DENR-7 warned against the exportation and importation of wildlife, its by-products and derivatives from illegal sources.
The requirements for the issuance of local transport permit are the following: duly accomplished form, inspection or verification of wildlife by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) nearest the place of collection using an inspection report form, documents supporting the legal possession of acquisition of wildlife, payment of fees, phytosanitary certificate (for plants) or veterinary quarantine certificate for animals from the concerned Department of Agriculture (DA) office.
In case of disposition, only those captive-bred birds, reptiles and mammals appropriately marked maybe disposed, either through sale, exchange or donation.
Meanwhile, 13 wildlife farm permits (WFP) were issued as of September 30, 2012. Of the sum, Cebu has 10, and Siquijor and Negros Oriental have one and two, respectively.
In 2011, 22 WFPs were issued by DENR 7.
WFP, which is a five-year permit issued to qualified individuals or corporations, is the permit to develop, operate and maintain a wildlife breeding farm for conservation, trade or scientific purposes.
In case of exportation of captive-bred wildlife, the permit holders present the wildlife to the DENR for inspection and verification.
Montejo said WFP holders should ensure the safety and proper maintenance of the wildlife in its facilities, observe hygiene and strict quarantine procedures in its operation and assume full responsibility and accountability over any disease outbreak or epidemic that might arise or originate from its facility.
Section 27 of Republic Act 9147 or Conservation and Protection of Wildlife Resources and their Habitats provides that illegal acts includes killing and destroying wildlife species; inflicting injury, which cripples and/or impairs the reproductive system of wildlife species; introduction, reintroduction or restocking of wildlife resources; trading of wildlife, collecting, hunting or possessing wildlife, their by-products and derivatives; gathering or destroying of active nests, nest trees, host plants and the like; maltreating and/or inflicting other injuries; and transporting of wildlife.
“We will enforce the existing laws as instructed by DENR Secretary Ramon JP Paje as we want to conserve and protect wildlife species and their habitats to promote ecological balance and enhance biological diversity,” Montejo said. (HFG/PIA-7/DENR-7)
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RAFI sets activity for kids to value culture, heritage
CEBU CITY, Oct 15 (PIA) -- The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc (RAFI) is holding the fourth run of Kids at the Museum every Saturday for the observance of Children’s Month and Museum Month this October.
The first phase of the activity was held on October 6 at the Casa Gorordo Museum in Cebu during which participants aged three to five years old engaged in a “Going on a Chair Hunt.”
The activity will culminate on October 27 with a program to be held at the Cebu Normal University (CNU).
The hunt aims on instilling into the minds of this young generation to value the importance of museums to gain knowledge and learning on the Cebuano culture and its heritage.
Highlights of the activity include traditional Filipino games and workshops on lukay arts, performing arts, cooking, comic drawing, and painting.
They will be held in six museums and heritage sites, namely, Casa Gorordo Museum, Fort San Pedro, USPF-Rizaliana Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, CNU Museum and the JRG Halad Musum.
The program this year is made possible through the partnership between the Cebu City Government, Fort San Pedro and the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission; University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF)-Rizaliana Museum; Cathedral Museum of Cebu; CNU Museum; Jose R. Gullas (JRG) Halad Museum; and RAFI's Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund (DACF).
Around 390 children, aged three to 12, are expected to join the weekly activities of the Kids at the Museum from the different barangays of Cebu City, who are RAFI’s active partners in its culture and heritage initiatives, such as the Gabii sa Kabilin held every May.
“Kids at the Museum” is an initiative under the Culture and Heritage focus area of RAFI, believing that a confident community begins with a strong sense of identity. Other focus areas are integrated development, micro-finance and entrepreneurship, leadership and citizenship and education.
For more information about Kids at the Museum, please call 418-7234 local 703 and look for Karl Hegel Damayo or visit www.rafi.org.ph and www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph. (AYS/PIA, Cebu with RAFI PR)