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More countries signing up to global pact to curb illegal fishing

UNITED NATIONS, July 31 (PNA/Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday expressed optimism that a growing number of countries are ratifying an international agreement to combat illegal fishing, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

According to FAO, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is estimated to strip between USD 10 billion and USD 23 billion from the global economy, Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "It may account for up to 26 million tonnes of seafood a year, more than 15 percent of the total global output."

"Twelve countries have so far ratified the agreement, which was brokered by FAO in 2009, and it will come into force once we have 25 ratifications," Dujarric said.

Signatures represent a signal of support for the agreement and are an important first step in the process, followed by ratification at the national level and then official notification of ratification of the FAO. (PNA/Xinhua)

Proposed TPLEX realignment turned down

SAN FERNANDO CITY - The proposed realignment of the third phase of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) from Urdaneta City to Rosario, La Union was turned down by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

This was bared by Florelyn Fernandez, Engineer III of the DPWH regional office, who said construction of the third phase of TPLEX is now ongoing using the approved original plan for the Urdaneta City to Rosario stretch,

Turned down was the proposal of former Pangasinan (5th District) Cong. Mark Cojuangco who sought the Urdaneta-Rosario stretch of TPLEX would pass through San Fabian, skirting most part of Sison town.

Cojuangco's proposal was vigorously opposed by Baguio City and Benguet as the realignment will bypass Barangay Saytan in Rosario, La Union which is the nearest gateway to Baguio from the south through the old Kennon Road.

On the other hand, La Union officials led by Gov. Manuel Ortega as well as those of Pangasinan led by Gov. Amado Espino Jr. appeared non-committal to Cojuangco's proposal.

The realignment proposed by Cojuangco will make TPLEX longer by some eight kilometers, aside from entailing additional cost.

It was learned Cojuangco appeared before the city council of Baguio to explain the proposed realignment but nevertheless did not get a support.

Fernandez, speaking to newsmen in a news conference in Bauang, La Union, said the second phase of TPLEx from Paniqui, Tarlac to Urdaneta City is now 96.39 percent complete with the remaining third phase -- 25.83 kilometers -- yet to be constructed following the original plan which will pass through Sison.

The third phase of TPLEX is expected to be completed before President Benigno Aquino III steps down from office on June 30, 2016. (PNA)

DA, PhilRice urge Negrenses to be responsible rice consumers

BACOLOD CITY - The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) is urging Negrenses to be responsible rice consumers amid the challenges of producing more grains supply to feed the country’s growing population.

Data from PhilRice showed the Philippines has only around 2.4 million rice farmers for a population of more than 90 million, each having an average per capita consumption of 114 kilograms.

Ev Angeles, senior science research specialist of DA-PhilRice who spoke at the “Knowledge Sharing and Learning” activity held at PhilRice Negros Occidental office in Murcia, Negros Occidental, said that as the population increases, the challenge of producing more rice for the farmers also increases.

Angeles said rice farmers need the collective help of all sectors especially the consumers in coping with other challenges such as more and stronger typhoons, adverse effects of drought, smaller agricultural lands due to urbanization, and few extension workers.

“Ordinary consumers play a huge role in achieving the rice sufficiency level of the country that is, through responsible rice consumption,” she said.

Data from PhilRice further showed that the average age of Filipino farmers is up to 58 years old only, Angeles said, adding that most of them have minimal income and capital.

The DA-PhilRice also raised concern on decreasing number of students getting agriculture-related courses.

This is an important part in the chain especially in passing on the knowledge and skills in agriculture to future generations, it added.

As part of addressing these challenges, DA-PhilRice together with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) through their collaborative project called IPAD: Improving Performance and Delivery conducted a two-day sharing and learning activity participated by students and teachers, micro-finance sector representatives, seed producers, input providers, and farmers.

The activity is aimed at making all the sectors especially the consumers aware of what they can do to help farmers overcome the challenges and inspire more people especially students to venture into and love agriculture.(PNA)

PCL slams dad involved in fake official receipts, certificates of appearance

DAGUPAN CITY - A town councilor of Leyte is now facing strings of criminal cases, including an administrative complaint for issuing fake official receipts and certificates of appearance purportedly coming from the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) every time the latter is holding its national convention.

This was bared by PCL National President Maybelyn Fernandez, a city councilor of Dagupan, who identified the suspect as Sergio Batistis Jr. , a councilor of Albuera town in Leyte and who was arrested while the PCL was holding its national convention last June 10 to 12.

Fernandez said Batistis was arrested in an entrapment operation on June 11 conducted by the Davao City Police when some councilors were found to be holding fake official receipts purporting to show that they paid their registration fee in that convention but a lesser amount, although actually they did not.

The certificates of appearance, which were also faked, attested that the councilors attended the PCL convention although they did not and with these documents, they can collect their regular per diems from their respective local government units.

Fernandez said that it was obvious that some councilors were issued official receipts and paid at a lesser amount to evade paying in full the registration fee in the amount of Php 9,800 per councilor.

The lady councilor called on her fellow councilors all over the country who may have been victimized by Batitis to " come out clean."

"We have been asking the councilors to come out clean if they were issued the fake official receipts and certificates of appearance, otherwise we will also file a case against them", she said.

Fernandez said Batistis was now facing an estafa case including a graft before the Office of the Ombudsman and an administrative case before the Leyte Provincial Board.

The Leyte councilor was allegedly selling fake official receipts and certificates of appearance of the PCL convention in Davao City from June 10-12.

"We were able to find out about this caped when one of our councillors approached us last September 2014," Fernandez said.

Fernandez noted that Batistis admitted the illegal activity and confessed he has been doing this for for quite some time already.

Batistis is a first termer regular councilor. He, however, has served for two terms in the town council as ex-officio councilor being the Liga ng mga Barangay municipal federation president for two terms.

According to Fernandez, the fake official receipts were being sold at lower prices ranging from Php 2,000-P5,000, while the registration fee was pegged at Php 9,800.

The fake certificates of appearance were sold to show that the councilors were attending the convention even if they were not really present.

Fernandez underscored that PCL conventions are venues for the lawmakers to really participate and learn and not to just roam around.

"We will never tolerate this," vowed Fernandez. (PNA)

Czech Republic to consider tightening border controls over refugees

PRAGUE - In the coming months, the Czech Republic is likely to further tighten border controls by deploying more policemen, said Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec and Police President Tomas Tuhy on Thursday.

About 100 policemen from regions that do not face migration problems are to be deployed on border controls.

Chovanec said the police are currently assessing the situation and the measures taken against illegal migrants. He said it is possible to tighten border controls in August and deploy more policemen.

Tuhy said the number of border checks is likely to be increased at the end of summer holiday. He said police must monitor the border and other entries to the Czech Republic more intensively if they want to efficiently fight illegal migration.

Tuhy admitted more policemen involved extra costs and that some localities might be short of policemen, but said this should not cause a threat to safety in the regions.

Czech police detained over 3,000 illegal migrants in the first half of this year. More than 750 people were detained during the current tightened border checks, said Tuhy.

The Czech government on Wednesday approved a national migration strategy in which authorities will fight against illegal migration and promote the preservation of people's free movement within the Schengen area. The state also wants actively communicate with the public on this issue. (PNA/Xinhua)

New home brings new hope for earthquake survivors

Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary Evangeline Avilla, 43 and her family moved into their temporary shelter in barangay Ubojan in the municipality of Tubigon, Bohol along with other 82 families whose houses were damaged when the 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the province.

“This temporary shelter isa comfortable place to stay. We are now free from the dangers in the tent,” says Evelyn in dialect.

For her and for the rest of her neighbors, the temporary shelters they now occupied protect them fromthe scorching heat of the sun at daytime andfrom coldand prowling animalsat nighttime.
These 83 families stay in these transition houses while waiting for their permanent houses to be done, full of hope that life will get better.

The temporary shelter is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and supported by DSWD, Provincial Government of Bohol, Municipal Government of Tubigon, and Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection.

DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman graced the turnover of the 83 temporary shelters on June 21, 2014 together with Bohol Governor Edgardo Chatto, Tubigon Mayor Marlon Amila and Mr. Conrad Navidad, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM)/Evacuation Support Program (ESP) National Coordinator.

In her message during the turn over, Secretary Soliman appreciated and acknowledged the beneficiaries’ contribution in the realization of the project. “You now own these shelters and you have improved it. This could not be done without your concerted efforts. Thank you for your unity.”

Aside from the temporary shelter, Evelyn also received livelihood assistance from IOM in the form of goods and food stuff for sale that she displays in her porch. She also added some goods to her small sari-sari store using her own money.   

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VII has already started the process of providing livelihood assistance to these families through its Sustainable Livelihood Program. Within the month of August, the Ubojan temporary shelter residents, including Evelyn will undergo the Community Driven Enterprise Development (CDED)training.
CDED is a framework that integrates business principles and techniques necessary for the implementation of livelihood or enterprise projects with community participatory processes that enable the poor from the target communities to prepare their business plans.

NEDA and Provinces of Region VII,  Australian Government, and Asia Foundation Ink MoU for Road and Infrastructure Reform

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region VII; Provincial Governments of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor; and the Coalitions for Change program partnership of The Asia Foundation and the Australian Government formally launched the Coordinating Roads and Infrastructure Investment for Development (CR+ID) Project with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last August 27, 2014 in Cebu City.

Officials from the various organizations inked the MOU, including EfrenCarreon, NEDA Region VII Regional Director; Ky D. Johnson, Deputy Country Representative of The Asia Foundation; Governor Edgardo Chatto of Bohol; Vice Governor Agnes A. Magpale on behalf of Governor HilarioDavide III of Cebu; Governor RoelDegamo of Negros Oriental; and Governor Zaldy Villa of Siquijor province as signatories. Also present to witness the signing were Australian Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission, David Dutton, and Ruth Paul Cruz, NEDA Region VII’s Assistant Regional Director.

CR+ID is a successor to the Coordinating Road Investments for Development (CRID) project implemented over the last two years in five provinces: Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur. CRID coordinates and rationalizes road investments through the use of Value Chain Analysis in identifying strategic road links (SRLs). SRLs are interconnected roads which are most often used in transporting goods, services, and people. CRID banks on private sector-local government partnerships with support from national agencies to mobilize resources and funding for identified priority road network vital for the local economy.

The Australian Government and The Asia Foundation jointly agreed to expand CR+ID thematically, to include not only roads but also key infrastructure with disaster risk and hazard identification, and geographically, to include all provinces in Regions VII and XIII, as well as three provinces in Region VI.

The Australian Government’s support enables The Asia Foundation to provide assistance to provincial governments to complete their road network and key infrastructure maps, identify strategic roads and infrastructure with the private sector, and conduct municipal level road investment planning workshops.

CR+ID also works to strengthen the Regional Development Council for broader participation of businesses and local governments in the realm of investment programming. NEDA Region VII highlights the importance of investment in infrastructure, especially on transportation in the updated Central Visayas Regional Development Plan for 2014-2016.

With CR+ID, NEDA VII expects better investment programming, highly capacitated institutions at the local level, and projects responsive to local development needs and regional growth drivers.
Advancing broader private sector engagement, sustained economic growth, and inclusive development, the Coalitions for Change’s CR+ID program works with provincial governments, national agencies, and the private sector to introduce and sustain reforms in road and infrastructure investments.

Cong. Relampagos Urges Probe into Bulacan Field Trip Mishap

Bohol First District Representative Rene Relampagos, chair of the House Committee on Tourism, urged the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, to look into the death of seven (7) students of the Bulacan State University who died in the field trip last August 19, 2014, to determine whether school officials should be held liable for the mishap.

Cong. Relampagos issued the statement following the series of incidents involving what he described as “senseless loss of lives” during educational tours and field trips.

In his privilege speech, delivered last August 27, 2014, he stressed, “The Madlum Cave field trip is only one of the many instances where unfortunate incidents during these educational activities happen. Just a year ago, we were shocked by the news of death of three tourism students, two teachers, one driver and one tour guide during their Manila-Ilocos-Baguio Educational Tour of the Marinduque State College. And prior to that, two high school students also died when a tourist bus ran over the two minors during a private school field trip in Tanay, Rizal.”

“The Certification by the Commission on Education (CHED) as a pre-requisite in the conduct of the educational tour or field trip cannot be overstated. The ‘No CHED authority, no field trip policy’ must be strictly enforced,” he stressed. “In requiring this, we can be assured that the proposed educational activity is really a part of the school program and is necessary for academic purposes and not merely a sightseeing activity. Further, if CHED approved, we can rest on the strict compliance of the safety procedures by the higher educational institution concerned,” he explained.

The lawmaker further urged the Committee to review the policies and guidelines of CHED on educational tours and field trips to ensure educational value of, as well as safety of students during school activities.

He continued, “These incidents could have been prevented if the higher education institutions concerned simply followed the policies and guidelines of CHED.”

“The CHED guidelines should also be further enhanced by including provisions on road-worthiness of vehicles used during educational tours and field trips and student to teacher ratio, as well as provisions on the consideration of the weather conditions as additional pre-requisites for the conduct of these school activities,” he underscored.

Seven Bulacan State University students drowned in Madlum River in San Miguel, Bulacan, during a school field trip that was reportedly not endorsed by CHED. 

   The Committee on Higher and Technical Education, under Rep. Roman T. Romulo, already commenced its investigation on the matter and looking at the possible infractions of BSU.

TUBIGON CONDUCTS BPSO TRAINING
By: Elaine Mae Ladeza
TUBIGON- With the different issues sprouting that threaten the safety as well as the peace and order situations in the province is never enough to be vigilant but we need to be ready thus on August 19, 2014 at JJs Foodstream, an orientation-training is conducted for the Barangay Public Safety Officers of popularly called Barangay Tanod.

This training is called Barangay Public Safety Officers (BPSO) on Disaster Response and Management aims to provide the appropriate knowledge and information in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities as first responders and volunteers in crisis and emergency situations. This was initiated by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in cooperation with the Local Government Unit of Tubigon (LGU-Tubigon) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Being the front liners in the preparation of and response to any type of emergencies, public disorders, man-made calamities and disasters that may threaten peace and order as well as public safety, it is important to equip these tanods with the needed weapons which can be of help for them in maintaining the peacefulness within their areas of responsibilities.
The training served as a refresher course for them as they were reminded of their duties and responsibilities as a Public Safety Officers. They are also introduced of their roles in managing disasters as well as in preventing crimes. Various drills and exercises were conducted showcasing the right approaches in handling and handcuffing arrested individuals as presented by representatives from the PNP.  Demonstrations on giving first aids, basic life support and emergency was showcased by the men from the Bureau of Fire Prevention.

These watchmen play an important role in the peace and order situation of our respective barangays. The compensations that they are receiving may be too little compared to the risks that they have to take in performing their duties. But as what the honorable mayor stressed in his message during that day, this kind of job needs love and commitment in order for these men to stay truthful in this task that they are assigned to by the respective Punong Barangays.
This training is divided into three clusters taking into consideration the number of participants per barangay. Among those who gave their support during that day were the honorable mayor Marlon R. Amila, Vice Mayor Virgilio Fortich, PSInsp Christian B. Torres, Mr. Jogepons Ruloma the MLGOO-DILG.

INGKING PROMOTED TO 2-STAR PNP GENERAL

Boholano Edgardo Casiguran Ingking received a very special birthday gift on 20th August 2014 when he took his general’s oath in front of President Aquino at the Malacanang Palace.  His promotion to Police Director (2-star General) of the Philippine National Police came after 36 years in the military service. 

He currently holds the position of Director of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao (DIPO-WM).  He is also the PNP Focal Person for the Bangsamoro Peace Process supervising the operations of Police Regional Offices 9, 12 and Autonomous Regions of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).  For this role, he works directly with the Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and serves as adviser and consultant to the different peace tables on all matters related to policing. In line with this role, Ingking has been installed as one of the 3-Member, Board of Directors (Task Force) of Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (LASURECO) on August 7, 2014 by the Inter-Agency Committee (IAC), represented by Hon. Mar Roxas, Secretary of Interior and Local Government; Hon. Voltaire Gasmin, Secretary of National Defense and Hon. Carlos Jericho Petilla, Secretary of Energy to address serious pressing issues and manage the rehabilitation of the said electric cooperative, which supplies electric power to Marawi City and Lanao Provinces in Central Mindanao. 

He is also currently the Vice Chairman of the PNP Technical Working Group on the PNP Long-Term Integrated Transformation Program -Performance Governance System known as the PNP P.A.T.R.O.L. Plan 2030.

Ingking who is a graduate of Philippine Military Academy in 1982 was formerly Deputy Director - Police Regional Office 7, Chief of Staff - Police Regional Office 7, Provincial Director - Bohol Provincial Police Office, City Director - Mandaue City Police Office, Chief of Police - Tagbilaran City Police Station, Regional Chief - Regional Maritime Unit 7, and Contingent Commander - UN Police Advisers in Liberia, West Africa.

He believes in lifelong learning hence he equipped himself with Masters in Public Administration.  He is also a holder of Civil Service Career Service Executive Eligibility (CSEE) and a Certified Security Professional (CSP) by the Philippine Society of Industrial Security (PSIS).

Pride of Bohol and a native of Tagbilaran, he is the son of Ens. Gorgonio Ingking Sr. and Alicia Casiguran Ingking. He is married to nee Marlene Garcia of Cortes, Bohol and blessed with 3 sons and 1 grandson who reside in Cebu City.

Dauis mayor feels vindicated after Ombuds acquittal

The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has dismissed “for lack of merit” graft charges filed against Dauis Mayor Miriam Sumaylo by her publicly known political critic, Ephraim Bomediano.

“Complainant’s assertion is nothing more than an opinion formed without sufficient evidence,” said the anti-graft’s decision penned by graft investigator and prosecution officer Corazon C. Arnado-Carrillo.

Following the dismissal of the case, Sumaylo, who was represented by Atty. Lord “Popot” Marapao IV, told members of Bohol media that she feels vindicated now that the decision of the Ombudsman is out. Sumaylo has branded the complaint filed shortly before the May 2013 elections “as pure political harassment.”

Sumaylo said that even before the decision of the Ombudsman she has been confident that the complaint would not prosper since it was “false and baseless.” She added that her conscience is clear, stressing that  she did not violate any law as alleged by the complainant.

Her lawyer, Marapao, also commented that the filing of the said complaint was a “cheap political gimmick intended to maliciously harass the would-be mayor of Dauis.”

In the complaint before the Ombudsman, Bomediano claimed that Sumaylo, formerly the barangay chief executive of Tabalong, Duis before being elected as town mayor, had allegedly violated provisions of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act; RA 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees; and RA 1379, or the Law on Forfeiture of Unlawfully Acquired Property.

Complainant alleged that the properties of Mayor Sumaylo reflected in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) are “not commensurate with the income she declared. Bomediano also alleged that Sumaylo and her family has millions of pesos deposits in Metrobank and Philippine National Bank (PNB), and that the family had traveled to the United States, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and China.

Bomediano further alleged that Sumaylo in 2009 had declared in her SALN P1.675 million as family’s gross income while her SALN reflected four properties.

In her SALN filed on Dec. 31, 2011, Sumaylo reflected 12 properties, three of which were inherited, and that she declared P3.469 as family’s gross income, court record said.

Complainant also claimed that Sumaylo “failed to disclose the house and lot located in Burgos St, Mandaue City, which was bought by the latter in 2010 in the amount of P2.2 million.”
But according to the Ombudsman, the complainant “(had) no evidence presented to support his (Bomediano’s) allegations.”

“The record reveals that all the questioned properties under the respondent’s name and her husband’s name, except the lots acquired in 2010 located in Mandaue City and Duis, Bohol, were bought before she assumed office as Punong Barangay in 2007,” the Ombudsman said in its resolution.

“This would prove that no public funds were involved in the acquisition of these properties,” the Ombudsman noted.

The Ombudsman added: “The record further reveals that the family of respondent started their lending business in 2000 and was incorporated with the SEC under the name of ‘Sum Finance Service Corporation’ in 2005.”

“Just like the properties bought before her assumption to office, the two properties (lots in Mandaue City and Duis, Bohol) bought in 2010, while it may be true that these properties were under the spouses’ name just like the other properties, were clearly acquired using the money from their lending business and placed in trust for the corporation,” the Ombudsman ruled.

The anti-graft court said that alleged money deposits of Sumaylo in Metrobank “is unverified” and “could not be given weight.”

“It is worthy to note that the money owned by the lending business, Sum Finance Service Corporation, need not be declared by respondent, the former having a separate and distinct juridical personality from the operators,” the court said, adding “besides, said lending investment was already disclosed by the respondent in her SALN.”

Conservationists slam American dentist over brutal killing of Cecil the lion

HARARE - Conservationists in Zimbabwe have sharply criticized the killing of one of Zimbabwe's oldest and best known lion by an American dentist on trophy hunting early this month.

They said the poaching of 13-year old Cecil the lion, with its iconic black mane symbolizing power and strength, was a major drawback to Zimbabwe's conservation and safari industry in particular. Many foreign tourists came to Hwange, home to around 350 African lions, to be amazed by roaming black-maned male lions like Cecil.

The lion, now at an advance age as life expectancy of wild lions averages 14 years, caused an international outcry partly because it was collared as part of a decade-old study by Oxford University to examine the impact of trophy hunting on ecology and better understand the human-animal conflicts.

American dentist Walter James Palmer was identified as the suspect who killed Cecil with a gun shot with the assistance of two Zimbabweans -- a professional hunter and a private farm owner -- after they lured the lion out of wildlife-rich Hwange National Park on July 1 this year.

The two men appeared in court Wednesday facing poaching charges and the professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst was ordered to pay USD 1,000 bail for his provisional release.

The two face lengthy jail terms if convicted.

Palmer has admitted to killing the iconic lion but claims he was unaware the lion was protected.

The Zimbabwean authorities admitted that Palmer and his local guides had secured trophy hunting permits but they did not have the quota for lions on their permits this year.

Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce, a non-profit organization focusing on the conservation and preservation of wildlife in Zimbabwe said the government should immediately ban trophy hunting of all endangered species.

"There should be a moratorium and ban on the hunting of all endangered animals.

"Government has to put a stop to it because at the end of the day we will have no lion population in Zimbabwe," he said.

President of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe (SOAZ) Emannuel Fundira said the killing of the popular lion would negatively impact on safari hunting revenues and affect the livelihoods of about 800,000 families in Zimbabwe that directly depend on wildlife exploitation.

"We did not expect our photographic safari industry was going to be affected in this manner," Fundira said.

The killing of Cecil the lion comes at a time when Zimbabwe's safari hunting industry is reeling from a U.S. ban on sport hunted elephant trophies imposed in April 2014.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Services imposed the ban on sport hunted elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Tanzania citing poor management system after more than 100 elephants died from cyanide poisoning in Hwange National Park in 2014.

According to SOAZ, the U.S. is a lucrative market for Zimbabwe's 100 million dollars safari hunting industry.

According to SOAZ, Zimbabwe received USD 65 million revenue from safari hunting in 2013 and earnings were estimated to have declined by 30 percent in 2014 due to the ban.

Tom Milliken, an official with wildlife trade monitoring network, Traffic, said the poaching of Cecil the lion puts under the spotlight the adherence to ethics in Zimbabwe's sport hunting industry.

"I just wish the industry were playing a more aggressive role in trying to protect their industry and ensuing highest ethical standards," Milliken said.

"If it turns out that the lion was illegally hunted, it will likely precipitate a reaction against the sport hunting industry.

"The U.S. has already closed elephant trophy hunting from Zimbabwe and I think that it's quite possible to see a similar reaction so the best way to safeguard sport hunting is to ensure greatest integrity and ensure you play by the rules," Milliken said.

According to a recent report done by the Zimbabwe National Parks in partnership with various conservation organizations, Zimbabwe's lion population is estimated to be around 1,000. (PNA/Xinhua)

Nutrition Month culminates in cookfest in Pangasinan

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - The celebration of Nutrition Month in Pangasinan culminated with the holding of cooking competition by members of 21 women's organizations who converged July 29 at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center (PTDC).

These women's organizations also received vegetable seedlings from the provincial government to be grown in their respective backyards and gardens to ensure steady supply of food for their families.

The women leaders representing Rural Improvement Clubs (RICs), Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina (KALIPI) and other women's organizations in Pangasinan also underwent technical briefing on backyard and urban gardening aside from watching cooking demonstrations.

On behalf of Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr., Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim, Jr. and Board Member and Liga ng mga Barangay Provincial President Amado "Pogi" I. Espino, III, along with Provincial Agriculturist Officer-in-Charge Dalisay Moya and Acting Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Nestor Batalla, led the distribution of vegetable seedlings and in awarding of prizes to cookfest winners. Acknowledging the crucial roles the women sector for community regeneration, Vice Governor Calimlim commended the concerted efforts of the women leaders that contribute to the over-all growth and development of Pangasinan.

“Let us remain steadfast and supportive of the vision of the provincial government for Pangasinan, that is to make it as the best place to invest, work, live and raise a family,” the Vice Governor said.

Meanwhile, Board Member Espino hailed the women sector in the province as "inspiration" to all worthy endeavors of men, stating that their sacrifices, toil and hard work today are all for the benefit of future generations.

The women leaders were also enjoined to help galvanize the anti-drug abuse and human trafficking efforts jointly undertaken by incumbent provincial administration through the Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) and supported by the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC), Pangasinan Provincial Police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Pangasinan.

Earlier, Provincial Health Officer I Cielo Almoite reminded the women leaders to become observant of the nutrition status of children in their communities.

Almoite disclosed that malnutrition incidence rate in Pangasinan significantly decreased this year at 2.46 percent as compared to last year’s 3.32 percent which she said, has been attributed to various intervention strategies implemented by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) that are supported by Local Government Units (LGUs).

Winners in the cookfest were: Main Dish Category -- Mangatarem RIC (1st place), Alaminos City RIC (2ndplace) and San Carlos City RIC (3rd place); Nutri-Pabaon â€" Laoac KALIPI (1st place), Pangasinan Women’s Development Incorporated of Dagupan City (2nd place) and Urdaneta City RIC (3rd place).

Women groups from Alaminos City, Binmaley, Bugallon, Labrador, Mabini, Malasiqui, Mangaldan, Mangatarem, Sam Carlos City, San Nicolas, Sta. Barbara, Umingan, Urdaneta City, Bani, Bugallon, Mapandan, San Jacinto, Laoac, Umingan, Bautista and Dagupan City received packs of seedlings of the following: bush sitao, smooth green okra, upland kangkong, pechay, ampalaya and patola. (PNA)

New Zealand supermarkets stocking 'unhealthiest' food available: study

WELLINGTON - Most of the packaged food in New Zealand supermarkets is the "unhealthiest food available," according to a controversial study out Thursday.

These foods were ultra-processed and less healthy than less processed foods, Dr Wilma Waterlander, of the University of Auckland's School of Population Health, said in a statement.

"These findings highlight the need to improve the supermarket food supply by reducing numbers of ultra-processed foods and reformulating products to improve their nutritional profile," said Waterlander.

Ultra-processed foods had the worst nutrient profile, but they were the most available packaged products in a sample of New Zealand supermarkets in 2011 and 2013.

The researchers examined the availability of packaged food products in supermarkets and classified according to their level of industrial processing and their nutrient profiling score (NPSC), the price (energy, unit and serving costs) and the brand variety.

The majority 84 percent in 2011 and 83 percent in 2013 of packaged foods were classified as ultra-processed.

"This study observed many variations of virtually the same product. The 10 largest food manufacturers produced 35 percent of all packaged foods available," said Waterlander.

"If we are serious about improving population diets, we need to look at the whole system," she said.

"We need to study how food moves from the farm to the supermarket and how we can work with all actors to improve this system. It is not fair to solely blame supermarkets or food industry; it is all linked together."

However, the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council industry group said it was a "disappointing study of politicking dressed up as academic research."

Council chief executive Katherine Rich said the study was also flawed due to its "misuse" of the NPSC, which was not designed "to determine healthiness."

"For example, according to the research, 'ultra-processed' food includes bread, frozen and canned vegetables, breakfast cereal, dried fruit, cheese and yoghurt. These are foods that most people would agree are part of a healthy and balanced diet," Rich said in a statement. (PNA/Xinhua)

China to help Sri Lanka fight chronic kidney disease

COLOMBO - China is to help Sri Lanka establish clinics affiliated to the main kidney hospital in Sri Lanka in an effort to help fight the chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

At a meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang said that China always supported Sri Lanka to improve the quality of drinking water and deal with the CKD problem.

The Chinese Ambassador and other heads of Colombo-based diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations were invited to attend the meeting presided by President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss how to deal with CKD.

At that meeting, Ambassador Yi said China has taken some significant measures to help Sri Lanka in this field and will continue to carry out these measures.

During the past three years, experts from the Chinese Academy of Science had visited Sri Lanka and studied the water quality in certain areas. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Chinese Academy of Science and the Ministry of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage of Sri Lanka when President Maithripala Sirisena paid a state visit to China in March 2015, according to Yi.

The ambassador also said that Chinese companies have completed several water supply projects aimed at providing clean drinking water to local people while some projects are still being implemented with the support of preferential loans and commercial loans from China.

He added that China agreed to provide grant assistance to establish a kidney hospital at the request of Sri Lanka government when President Maithripala Sirisena visited China in March 2015.

Considering the local conditions, Ambassador Yi also suggested that clinics affiliated to the kidney hospital be established in some other districts. Discussions are now underway to look at the possibility of establishing such clinics.

President Sirisena, in response, appreciated the efforts made by China and requested the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Urban Development and Drainage to keep close communication with the Chinese government with regards to the projects.

China Geo-Engineering Corporation (CGEC) has completed 18 urban water supply and drainage projects in Sri Lanka since 1994, which provide clean drinking water and sewage disposal service for more than 30 cities and towns, and employ over 20,000 local workers. (PNA/Xinhua)

Japanese PM doubts need of strenghening sanctions against N Korea

TOKYO, July 30 (PNA/Sputnik) -- Pyongyang has officially admitted to abducting 13 Japanese citizens from 1977 to 1983. It released five of the detainees in 2002 and 2004, claiming that the remaining eight had died. Earlier this year, Tokyo extended the trade embargo against Pyongyang and the ban on DPRK ships entering Japanese ports for two more years, as North Korea delayed reporting on the abduction investigation.

In July 2014, North Korea launched a probe over the missing Japanese nationals, victims of the 1970s and 1980s kidnappings, as well as children and spouses of repatriated North Koreans. In response to the establishment of an investigation committee by North Korea, Japan agreed to ease some unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang.

Japan has consistently urged North Korea to release its hostages, believing that hundreds more may have been abducted.

Earlier this month, Japanese media reported that Tokyo and Pyongyang held secret talks in Mongolia over the fate of the abducted. (PNA/Sputnik)

National cooperative day draws participation of ASEAN nations' cooperatives - Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR - Cooperatives from several ASEAN nations such as Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei have confirmed their participation in the National Cooperative Day 2015 celebrations next month.

Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin said four cooperatives from Indonesia, two from Brunei and two companies from Thailand would be involved in the exhibition as well as signing of memorandums of understanding (MoU).

He said this proved that the ASEAN community could be united as one.

"In fact, it is better if all cooperatives played a role in working together, cooperating between the cooperatives, and people with people throughout all ASEAN nations," he said in a press conference held after a gathering with members of the Malaysian Cooperatives Commission (SKM) here today.

Commenting on the National Cooperative Day celebrations from Aug 14 to 16, he said the cooperatives sector played an important role in the nation.

The programme is scheduled to be officiated at the Kuching Waterfront, Sarawak, on Aug 15. (PNA/BERNAMA)

Leaders of Cameroon, Nigeria commit to fight against Boko Haram

YAOUNDE - The leaders of Cameroon and Nigerian are committed to working together to fight against the terrorist group Boko Haram and eradicate this evil.

Cameroonian President Paul Biya said in a state banquet welcoming Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday that terrorism is a global threat and only comprehensive response could bring it to an end.

The terrorism mentioned by the Cameroonian president refers to the Nigerian Islamic sect Boko Haram.

Biya said terrorism threatened social peace and security in the countries around Lake Chad, particularly in Cameroon and Nigeria.

He said terrorism leaves many civilians killed, economic activities affected and refugees increased.

"We can't let this gangrene prosper. We will pool our resources and work together (to stop it)," he said.

Buhari said Boko Haram is the common enemy of Cameroon and Nigeria. This Islamic sect kills civilians and displaces many Nigerians.

Buhari expressed his government's determination to fight against Boko Haram, defend and restore territorial integrity of Nigeria, protect the lives and property of Nigerians.

He promised to continue to work with the Cameroon and other neighboring countries to eradicate Boko Haram.

Buhari arrived in Yaounde Wednesday morning to start his two-day working visit to Cameroon.(PNA/Xinhua)

Malaysian official says debris found still cannot be confirmed as from Boeing 777

KUALA LUMPUR - Director General of Malaysia' s Department of Civil Aviation Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said Thursday that it still cannot be confirmed that the debris discovered on a beach of the Reunion Island was part of a Boeing 777 aircraft.

Azharuddin told Xinhua that the Malaysian team sent out to identify the debris is still on their way to the Reunion Island, and the result of the identification will hopefully come out in two days.

Also on Thursday, the Malaysian Transport Ministry said in a statement that that a part identified as a flaperon that could possibly belong to the ill-fated Boeing 777 aircraft has been discovered.

It said that a team comprising experts from the Department of Civil Aviation, Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 has been dispatched to the Reunion Island to verify whether the flaperon belongs to the missing plane.

However, it said that until there is tangible and irrefutable evidence that the flaperon does belong to the missing aircraft, it would be premature to speculate at this juncture.

"This is to ensure that we do not raise false hope for the love ones of the victims of MH370. We will make the necessary announcements once details have been verified," the ministry said.

Malaysia Airlines' Flight MH370 disappeared without a trace in March last year while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The Boeing 777 aircraft was carrying 239 passengers and crew. Most of the passengers were Chinese.(PNA/Xinhua)

Tarlac’s most wanted person falls

MONCADA, Tarlac, July 30 (PNA) -- One of the most wanted persons in this province finally fell into the hands of the law.

John Paul Madriaga, 20, a resident of this town, was arrested Wednesday in Dolores, Abra after three years of hiding.

Madriaga, who is listed no. 10 in the provincial list of Tarlac and No. 1 priority target list of wanted persons this town, was involved in the robbery and killing of 77-year-old Irineo Grajes on March 5, 2012.

Acting Judge Jose S. Vallo of Regional Trial Court Branch 67 of Paniqui, Tarlac issued a warrant of arrest against Madriaga on July 9, 2012.

Police Chief Inspector Edison Pascasio said they received information on Madriaga’s whereabouts through a concerned citizen.

Pascasio said he immediately formed a tracker team with his deputy, police Senior Inspector Jose Natividad, Jr. as the team leader and immediately proceeded to Abra that resulted in the arrest of Madriaga.

The suspect did not resist arrest but denied involvement in the killing of Grajes.

He is now detained at the Moncada Police Station jail awaiting for the court order of his transfer at the Tarlac Provincial Jail.

Meanwhile, Senior Supt. Alex B. Sintin, provincial director of Tarlac PNP, congratulated the Moncada Police for the arrest of one of the most wanted personalities in the province.

Sintin said this is a result of the full implementation of the Oplan Lambat Sibat and with lateral good coordination with other agencies and police units in other areas of the Philippines. (PNA)

Davao Light imposes four-hour power cut off
By Lilian C. Mellejor

DAVAO CITY, July 30 (PNA) -- Davao Light and Power Co.(DLPC) started Thursday imposing a maximum of three to four hours of rotating power interruptions in this city and franchise areas in Davao del Norte.

This developed after the Therma South Inc. (TSI) coal plant shut down for an unscheduled repair. The TSI coal plant is still under commissioning stage.

Davao Light gets 60 megawatts from TSI to mitigate the power deficit for the past weeks. With 60MW lost, that would mean four hours of blackout, DLPC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Arturo Milan said.

“TSI will shut down anytime today (Thursday). It is still under a commissioning stage and will do a lot of adjustments. This is beyond DLPC's control,” Milan said at the presentation of the 2014 report on the Economic Performance of Davao Region at Ritz Hotel on Thursday.

Milan said Davao Light was receiving 163 megawatts (MW) from National Power Corp. (NPC) â€" Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM), which was below the 275-contracted average demand. The peak demand reached 326 MWs.

Since TSI is still in the commissioning stage, it is expected that it will trip 80-90 percent of the time since it is not easy to connect to the grid.

Just last week, DLPC has increased the duration of its power interruption from a maximum of one to two hours after the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) advised an increase in the power supply shortage in Mindanao from 60 MWs to 130 MWs.

Milan said TSI’s 60 MWs eased the power outages while STEAG State Power plant remained offline as it underwent an emergency shutdown from July 18 to Aug. 16 on one unit coal-fired plant at Barangay Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

He also said Pulangi and Agus Hydroelectric plants were also not working due to low water level while the Mt. Apo source had shut down since July 18.

In a press statement, DLPC said increase in power outages was necessary to avoid breakdown of the entire distribution system, which happens when the demand is higher than what is being supplied.

Corporate Communications Officer Rossano Luga said DLPC continued to implement its contingency measures in order to cushion the impact of the supply shortage.

Davao Light is running its standby Bajada Power Plant, optimizing on its embedded Sibulan and Talomo Hydropower plants and supply agreement with TMI. It is also activating its Interruptible Load Program (ILP).

Milan said Davao Light was running its 33-MW Bajada plant and it was also receiving 30 MWs from TMI, 37 MWs from Hedcor and 38 MW from ILP.

“We know that Mindanao does not have reserve so that is the situation now,” Milan said. (PNA)

Cebu gov welcomes creation of new congressional district

CEBU CITY, July 30 (PNA) -- Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III has welcomed the approval by the Senate of a bill creating a new district in the province.

The new district brings to 10 the total number of congressional representatives from Cebu.

These include House members from the seven congressional districts in Cebu province, two in the Cebu City and one from the lone district of Lapu-Lapu City.

Davide said with the bill, which is awaiting the signature of President Benigno C. Aquino III, towns in the new district can expect their fair share of government projects and resources.

The new district called the seventh district will be carved out of the existing second district now held by Rep. Wilfredo Caminero.

The seventh district will be composed of eight towns, namely, Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara, Moalboal, Badian, Alegria, Malabuyoc and Ginatilan.

Caminero’s district will now be limited to the towns of Samboan, Santander, Oslob, Boljoon, Alcoy, Dalaguete and Argao.

Caminero, Representatives Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu, 3rd district), Behur Salibangon and Aileen Radaza of the lone district of Lapu-Lapu City introduced the bill in the House.

House Bill 4427 seeking to create the seventh district was approved last year.

The Senate passed last Tuesday its counterpart, which was filed by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The bill seeking to create the seventh district was originally filed in 2008 by then congressman Pablo Garcia, father of Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia. (PNA)

Fair weather expected as Metro conducts 'shake drill' Thursday

MANILA - Except Mindanao, most parts of the country including Metro Manila will continue to experience fair weather with isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

In an interview, PAGASA weather forecaster Denison Estareja said that partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of the country.

He added that there is a slim chance of rain as Metro Manila schools, establishments and local governments carry out the metrowide shake drill. However, rains are expected in the afternoon or evening due to thunderstorms.

The drill will cover 16 cities and one town in Metro Manila and to signal the start of the drill the sirens will blare, church bells will ring, and fire alarms will go off.

The drill will start at 10:30 a.m. and last for a full hour, until 11:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Estareja said most parts of Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rains due to the presence of Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

The ITCZ affecting Mindanao, which is the thick clouds coming from the south of Asia, is considered a breeding ground for low-pressure areas (LPAs) or potential cyclones.

He added that no tropical cyclone has seen near the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

However, he noted that the weather bureau continues to monitor a low pressure area which is still too far to affect the country.

In its advisory, PAGASA said light to moderate winds blowing from the northeast to east will prevail over Luzon and coming from the northeast to northwest over the rest of the country.

The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate. (PNA)

WHY NO MENTION AT ALL OF AGRICULTURE IN SONA?â€"SEN. MARCOS

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. today expressed concern that the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the President did not include agriculture, which is the backbone of the Philippine economy.

“The foundation of our economy is agriculture, yet it was not mentioned at all,” Marcos noted.

He pointed out that the entire SONA, consisting of about 17,000 words, the word “agriculture” was mentioned only when the President thanked Secretaries Proceso Alcala and Francis Pangilinan and in the testimonial of Apayao Governor Elias Bulut, Jr. on the roads constructed in his province.

Apart from these instances, the SONA was silent on the issue of agriculture, Marcos noted.

“It is alarming because we are now entering the full implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) where each member countries committed to open their markets to each other and the first sector that would be hardest hit in the Philippines is agriculture,” he said.

When AFTA was signed in 1992, all ASEAN countries committed to reduce their commercial tariffs by 2015.

Marcos echoed the concerns of business leaders and economists that the Philippines has not taken adequate preparations for the full implementation of AFTA.

“We have not heard anything about the government’s program to support agriculture when we know that majority of our farmers are poor,” Marcos said.

“If the government is serious about helping the poor, it should focus its efforts on the agriculture sector, which I think is facing a crisis,” he added.

Official government statistics show that agriculture grew by 1.78 percent in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the same period last year.

“Improved performances were noted in the crops, livestock and poultry subsectors, but the fisheries subsector posted a decline during the period. At current prices, agriculture grossed P380.1 billion, lower by 1.65 percent than last year's record,” a report of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics said.

Marcos has filed several bills in the Senate to support the country’s agricultural sector, including Senate Bill No. 112 or the “National Seeds Production Act” and Senate Bill No. 14, or the “National Irrigation Program”.

Recently, Marcos conducted consultations with coconut farmers in Luzon and assured them of his support in their bid to ensure that the P74.3-billion coco levy fund is used for their benefit and for the good of the country’s coconut industry.

SEN. MARCOS FILES RESOLUTION TO INVESTIGATE CANADIAN TRASH

SENATOR Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. wants a thorough Senate investigation on the dumping of Canadian garbage in the Philippines.

Marcos’ call for a Senate inquiry in aid of legislation was contained in Senate Resolution 1449. It aims to institute more stringent measures to protect public health and the environment from toxic and hazardous materials as well as ensure environmentally sound waste management.

Marcos, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government and concurrent member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, was puzzled why foreign trash, feared to contain toxic and hazardous materials, ended up in Philippine soil.

The garbage was shipped to the Philippines in July 2013, although the Philippines ratified in 1993, and Canada in 1992, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes that prohibits the trade of toxic and hazardous wastes unless a country consents to it.

Waste disposal in the Philippines is also strictly regulated by Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and Republic Act 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act. The Constitution also calls on the state to protect and promote people’s right to health and their right to a balanced and healthy ecology.

“It is crucial to scrutinize the policy of the government in allowing the foreign-sourced trash into local landfills in order to assess and enhance viable mechanisms to protect our people from the health perils brought about by the gargantuan rubbish literally thrown into our backyard at the expense of our people,” Marcos said in the resolution.

Marcos was in Tarlac Provincial Capitol earlier and had a dialogue with local officials led by Gov. Victor Yap and Vice Gov. Enrique “Kit” Cojuangco, who reported to him that at least 26 container vans of the Canadian garbage had already been unloaded in a private landfill in Sitio Kalangitan, Capas, Tarlac operated by the private firm Metro Clark Waste Management Corp.

The meeting was also attended by Rep. Susan Yap (2nd District, Tarlac), Gerona town Mayor Dennis Go, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Tarlac chapter; provincial board members, other municipal mayors, vice mayors, councilors, barangay captains, and concerned groups.

“We have to ask (in the Senate probe) whether it is already the policy of the government to import garbage. If it’s not a policy, how did the trash from Canada find its way to the Philippines?” Marcos said.

Daily Devotional for Saturday, July 25th, 2015

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. Philippians 1:27

Paul never lost his wonder at having been called by God. He understood that the way he lived ought to be worthy of the King who had chosen him. He knew that the mystery of the gospel had been hidden for generations and had only been revealed in his day through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:26-27). Paul also understood that until people accept the gospel, they are spiritually dead and therefore without hope (Col. 2:13). As a result of God’s plan of salvation, those who trust in Jesus are not only made alive in Christ but are also adopted as the Father’s children (Rom. 8:16-17). Paul recognized that though the Gospel sounds like foolishness to the world, it is the power of God that brings eternal life to those who accept it.

Because Paul’s life had been radically transformed by the gospel, he was intent on living to honor the gospel that gave him life. It would have been tragic to receive the riches of the gospel and then to live as a spiritual pauper. It would have been disgraceful to be saved from death by the blood of Christ and then show no reverence for that sacrifice. It would have been foolish to accept such love from Christ and then to resent what He asked in return.

The way you live your life ought to be a tribute to the matchless grace that your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has bestowed upon you.  Henry and Richard Blackaby .

SEN. MARCOS PUSHES FOR “GREEN ECONOMY” IN PH

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. today vowed to support efforts to promote the use of environment-friendly materials and practices in Philippine business and industry.

Marcos, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works, made this commitment when he spoke before the Kalikasan GP3 (Green Productivity, Green Purchasing, Green Philippines) Conference and Expo 2015 at the SMX Convention Center in Taguig City.

“Business and ecology are not mutually exclusive. They can work hand in hand,” Marcos said.

He cited as example the windmills of Ilocos Norte, established during his stint as governor of the province, which provided a renewable and clean source of energy for Ilocos Norte and other parts of Luzon.

Marcos urged the convenors of the conference to gather all their significant findings and observations and suggest to Congress adjustments to existing laws and institutions to further promote a “green economy”.

“Rest assured, you will always find in this representation an ally and champion in the Senate, in pursuing the needed legislative actions to fine-tune and complement the mechanisms and programs you work so hard to install, implement and enforce,” Marcos said.

As part of his pro-environment advocacy, Marcos has filed Senate Bill 410 or the “Philippine Green Building Act”, meant to help mitigate the effects of climate change and global warming by creating green building standards and rating systems, backed with incentives to encourage compliance.

While the Senate has begun discussions on the bill, Marcos lamented that the matter has not gained enough traction in the House of Representatives. Still, Marcos said he is hopeful that a green building law could be enacted in the near future if eco-warriors would lobby for it in the Lower House.

Fortunately, Marcos said the Department of Public Works and Highways has come up with a Green Building Code.

Likewise, Marcos noted that the Department of Trade and Industry has started to provide incentives for manufacturers of environment-friendly products.

Marcos expressed hopes that the public will realize the importance of green building regulations and practices, especially when they see that it could generate jobs and spur economic development.

“Our greening efforts continue to be a work in progress. With your consistent contribution, all our efforts would soon evolve to a logical, effective and workable national mechanism that ultimately benefits both our people and our ecology,” Marcos said.

The 2015 GP3 conference and expo is spearheaded by Presidential Adviser on Environmental Protection, Secretary Nereus Acosta, Jr.,  and focuses on the following themes: “The New Green Revolution: Climate Smart Businesses and Eco-Conscious Consumers”, and “Promoting Green Procurement in Pursuing Green Building”.

SEN. MARCOS TELLS LUZON MAYORS: PUSH FOR STRONGER LGU SUPPORT FROM NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. told around 500 mayors from Luzon on Saturday to demand stronger support for local government units from the national government.

Marcos, Chairman of the Senate Local Government Committee, aired this advice when he spoke before local chief executives attending the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines-Luzon Island Cluster Conference in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.

He ruled that under the present administration, the national government provides little support for LGUs.

“I sincerely believe that the solution to our economic problems and our difficulties in the delivery of services will be improved if we empower our local governments by providing them additional support from the national government,” Marcos said.

Among others, Marcos said he is pushing for a larger share of LGUs in the Internal Revenue Allotment, from the current 40-60 percent sharing in favor of the national government, to an even 50-50 split.

Likewise, Marcos said he is supporting moves to increase the tax base from where IRA is computed. At present, the IRA share of LGUs is based solely from the collections of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

“Our position is that the IRA share should be based on all internal revenue collections of the government, not just on the BIR collections. That is why we have a case now pending in the Supreme Court to assert this position. We are optimistic that the Supreme Court will eventually uphold our position,” Marcos said.

With the approaching elections, Marcos said mayors can expect that candidates seeking national posts will try to woo their support.

“Choose a candidate who are supportive of local government units, not only for yourself, but also for the sake of your towns and, more importantly, for the development and progress of our country,” Marcos said.

Marcos stressed that his advice should not be taken as a campaign speech.

“I am merely stating my conviction that our local government units deserve better support and that is why we need to elect national officials who really understand the important role of local government units and the challenges that they face,” said Marcos.

The senator thanked the LMP, led by its national president Leonardo Javier, Jr. for inviting him to the conference.

He also lauded the LMP for their program to develop the skills of local government officials, noting that the three-day conference tackled diverse topics ranging such as tourism development, agriculture and rural growth, the 2016 proposed budget for LGUs, and  infrastructure

tiaw bay gibuhatan ug gripo.

Knowing God

Daily Devotional for Sunday, July 19th, 2015

And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. Exodus 6:2-3

As God has walked with His people through the generations, He has progressively revealed His nature according to His purposes and the needs of His people. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew Him as God Almighty, because they needed His mighty power to protect them from their enemies. Moses and the Israelites learned that God was Lord, Master over every nation and every thing. God not only delivered them from the most powerful ruler in the world, but also brought them into the Promised Land. They came to experience Him as Lord, preeminently powerful over the pagan gods of their day.

God will continue to reveal His character to you according to your needs and according to His purposes. You will come to know more and more about Him as you obey Him. When you grieve, He will come to you as Comforter. When you are in need, He will demonstrate that He is the Provider. When you face a serious challenge, He will reveal that He is God Almighty.

Your understanding of God’s character ought to be greater now than when you first became a Christian. You ought to know Him today better than you did five years ago. Sadly, some Christians continue to live year after year with the same basic knowledge of God that they had when they first began walking with him. Whatever your present situation, view it in the light of what God is teaching you, through circumstances, about Himself and you will come to know God in dimensions you have never known Him before.  Henry and Richard Blackaby .

God's Initiatives

Daily Devotional for Monday, July 20th, 2015

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you." Genesis 12:1

The most dramatic changes in your life will come from God’s initiative, not yours. The people God used mightily in Scripture were all ordinary people to whom He gave divine assignments that they never could have initiated. The Lord often took them by surprise for they were not seeking significant mandates from God. Even so, He saw their hearts, and He knew they were trustworthy.

The Lord spoke to Abram when He was beginning to build a nation dedicated to His purposes. Through this nation would come the Savior. God appeared to Moses at the very time He had purposed to deliver Israel out of slavery in Egypt. God found in Jesse’s youngest son David a godly man who could lead His people. God surprised Mary when He told her she would be the mother of the Messiah. God’s Son selected the twelve disciples, all ordinary, uneducated men, when He was ready to take the good news of His salvation to the world. Through the ages God has taken the initiative in the everyday lives of people to accomplish things through them that they never could have imagined.

The Lord may be initiating some new things in your life. When He tells you what His plans are, trust Him and walk closely with Him. Don’t let the busyness of your present activity keep you from experiencing all that God has in store for you. You will see Him accomplish things through your life that you never dreamed were possible (Eph. 3:20).    Henry and Richard Blackaby .

SEN. MARCOS BACKS BID OF COCO FARMERS TO ENSURE USE OF P74.3B COCO LEVY FUNDS FOR THEIR BENEFIT

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. assured coconut farmers on Saturday of his support for their efforts to ensure that the P74.3-billion coco levy fund will be used for their benefit and the development of the country’s coconut industry.

Marcos offered his help during a consultation with around 500 leaders of the coconut industry from the Southern Luzon provinces of Quezon, Laguna, Batangas, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay Sorsogon, Masbate, and Catanduanes, as well as from MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) at the Queen Margarette Hotel in Lucena City.

Charles Avila, spokesperson of the Confederation of Coconut Farmers Organizations of the Philippines (CONFED), noted that coconut farmers have been pushing in vain for a bill that would ensure the coco levy funds are used solely for the benefit of the coconut farmers and to promote the coconut industry.

“If you would allow me, I volunteer to help you towards the realization of your vision to improve the coconut industry and to ensure the fund that grew through your hard work will not be misused,” Marcos said.

Marcos said that if used properly and prudently, the coco levy funds could help propel coconut as the country’s premiere product, which would benefit not only the small farmers but the entire country as well.

In it decision on January 24, 2012, the Supreme Court declared that the coco levy funds are “owned by the government to be used only for the benefit of all coconut farmers and for the development of the coconut industry.”

“The Philippines has the potential to be world’s number one when it comes to coconut products but we have not taken advantage of this potential,” Marcos said.

Marcos said the coco levy funds should be used to make the Philippine coconut industry the best in the world so that the country can be “price giver”â€"dictating the price of the product in the international market---instead of being a mere “price taker”.

CONFED chairman Efren Villasenor said his group is proposing, among others, to enact a law constituting the coconut levy funds and assets into a Coconut Industry Trust Fund (CITF) and providing an administrative structure to manage the trust funds and ensure that its use will benefit the coconut industry and the coconut farmers.

“I will await your proposals so we can jointly develop a bill that will truly address your concerns and aspirations,” Marcos told the coconut farmers. He said he will also seek the help of the four other senators of the Nacionalista Party to help push the bill in the Senate.

The coconut farmers have also deplored attempts of the current administration to control the use of coco levy funds, through Executive Orders 179 and 180. However, the SC has issued a TRO against the twin order last June 30.

EO 179 calls for the inventory, privatization and reconveyance in favor of the government of all coconut levy assets, including the shares of stock in the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB), Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) Companies and CIIF Holding Companies, as well as the 5,500,000 San Miguel Corporation shares in the name of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).

On the other hand, EO180 sought the immediate transfer and reconveyance of the coconut levy assets to the government and use them for the Integrated Coconut Industry Roadmap and the Roadmap for Coco Levy.

“With such a huge fund, it is not surprising that some people would attempt to control it so it can be used for their own agenda. We must be vigilant to ensure such efforts would not succeed,” Marcos said.

He said the CONFED leaders should be commended for their timely action before the SC that stopped the implementation of the twin executive orders.

After meeting with the coconut farmers, Marcos also took time for a brief meeting in Lucena with leaders of the Original Guardians Brotherhood Integrated Inc.-Quezon Chapter led by their national president Plaridel “Seahorse” Sigue, Jr., chapter president Gerardo “Circuit” Gonzales, and secretary, Jonathan “Raptor” Laureano.

Among those present in the meeting were leaders of the brotherhood from the Quezon towns of Mulanay, Lucban, Mauban, Gumaca and Macalelon, as well as from Lucena City.

SOLONS’ FEAR OF DEFEAT IN 2016 POLLS IF THEY SUPPORT BBL STRESSES NEED FOR SUBSTITUTE BILLâ€"SEN. MARCOS

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. today said the growing concern of many lawmakers that they would lose voter support if they support the Palace-backed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) vindicated his position to craft a substitute bill.

Marcos cited reports quoting House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales, Jr. saying that many lawmakers fear they would lose in the 2016 election if they support the BBL as at least half of their constituents reject the proposed law.

“The Palace underestimated the intelligence of our people. They know a bad deal when they see it in the version of the BBL that Malacañang wants Congress to pass without any changes. That’s why many lawmakers are reluctant to support itâ€"for fear they would lose in the 2016 polls,” Marcos said.

Marcos reiterated his earlier warning that BBL would not succeed unless it earns the support of the public.

“That is precisely the reason why I have been working to prepare a substitute bill that would remedy the flaws of the draft BBL. If our people are convinced we have addressed their concerns against the draft BBL in the substitute bill and that it is fair to everyone concerned, they would likely support it,” he said.

He noted reports indicating that the strongest opposition against BBL is coming from Mindanao, contrary to the assertions of Malacañang.

“When lawmakers fear they’d lose in the 2016 elections if they support BBL, you’ve got to listen. Their entire political future depends on their accurate reading of the people’s pulse. In fact, that is consistent with the public sentiment we got when we went around Mindanao for our BBL hearings,” Marcos said.

Marcos said he and his legislative team has been working on the substitute bill during the congressional break so the committee members would have concrete provisions to discuss when they resume work after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27.

Earlier, the senator said his top priority in preparing the substitute bill is to address the constitutional issues raised against the draft BBL, as well as issues pertaining to administrative and economic provisions of the proposed law.

“I can say categorically that the draft BBL, as it was given to Congress, will not pass in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. So there is really a need for a substitute bill,” Marcos said.

The senator pointed out that his efforts are consistent with his vow to support the peace process in Mindanao.

“BBL alone will not be enough to ensure peace in Mindanao, but a good BBL will help us move towards that goal,” Marcos said.

Marcos earlier proposed a mini-Marshall Plan in Mindanao to spur modernization of the entire island and achieve lasting peace.

President Aquino salutes military officials who served under his administration

MANILA - Acknowledging that it was his last time to attend the change of command of the Philippine Army as Commander-in-Chief of the country’s Armed Forces, President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday paid tribute to all the military officials and personnel who served under his administration.

“Talaga namang mapalad ako na ang lahat ng itinalaga nating mga pinunoâ€"mula sa Kalihim ng Tanggulang Pambansa, hanggang sa mga Chief of Staff ng AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), at maging ang ating service commandersâ€"ay nagpakitang-gilas sa serbisyo. Sa pangunguna ni (Defense) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, ang mga pinuno ninyong ito ay katuwang ko sa pagpapaunlad at pagpapahusay sa ating kasundaluhan,” he said during the ceremony to install Major General Eduardo Año as new Army chief, held in Fort Andres Bonifacio, Taguig City

“Ilan sa mga itinalaga nating pinuno, gaya ni Sec. Volts, ay personal nating kakilala at madalas ding nakakasama sa mga pagpupulong. Meron namang nakilala ko habang sila ay junior officers pa lamang, kung saan nakitaan na sila ng husay at dedikasyon sa serbisyo. Habang ang iba naman, nakasalamuha lang natin dahil isa sila sa mga kandidato sa iba’t ibang mga posisyon,” he added.

The President lauded former AFP Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Bautista’s efforts to bring the military closer to the people.

“Direkta siyang nakikipag-usap sa mga nangangailangan ng tulong, na agaran at walang alinlangan naman niyang tinutugunan. Bilang Chief of Staff noon, matagumpay niyang naitimon ang Sandatahang Lakas sa kabila ng patong-patong na krisis na hinarap ng bansa noong 2013, at sa iba pang mga hamon sa loob at labas ng Pilipinas,” he said.

President Aquino also expressed his admiration for former Philippine Air Force Commanding General Lauro dela Cruz.

“Hanga po tayo sa paghahatid niya sa Air Force tungo sa mas matatayog na tagumpay sa kabila ng mga pagsubok. Isang matingkad na halimbawa nito ang pagpapakitang-gilas ng Air Force noong humarap tayo sa matinding hamon -- krisis sa Zamboanga, lindol sa Cebu at Bohol, at paghagupit ng bagyong Yolanda,” he said.

He recalled that during that time, three C-130s had to transport personnel, equipment, relief goods, and other supplies to these areas in crisis, yet General Dela Cruz took up the challenge.

“Ni minsan wala akong narinig na reklamo mula sa Air Force, na kesyo under-repair o unavailable ang ating mga C-130 at iba pang mga sasakyan. Walang mintis kasing kinukumpuni at pinapakondisyon ng mga propesyonal na serviceman at piloto ang ating mga eroplano. Tunay ngang sa pamumuno ni Larry dela Cruz, nagabayan ang ating mga kawal na gawin ang lahat ng makakaya upang epektibo at agarang rumesponde sa oras ng pangangailangan,” he said.

The President also cited Captain Neil Edward Camarillo and Sergeant Gilbert Balonga of the Army’s Task Force Minion, for their role in neutralizing Leoncio “Ka Pitao” of the New People’s Army in Davao City.

“Iilan lang sila sa mga patunay na talagang de-kalibre ang mga pinunong naitalaga natin para pangunahan ang ating unipormadong hanay. Muli, talaga pong ako’y pinalad na makahanap ng mga tapat at mahuhusay na pinuno ng atin pong buong kasundaluhan,” he said.

With one year left before he steps down from office, President Aquino said he wants to see the transformation that the country has been undergoing to continue.

“Sa tulong ng ating kasundaluhan, sasagarin pa natin ang natitirang panahon upang higit pang maghatid ng benepisyo sa ating mga Boss,” he said, calling on the military to help secure next year’s presidential elections.

“Malinaw po na ang kapayapaan ay pundasyon ng pangmatagalang kaunlaran sa ating bansa. Kompiyansa akong sa ilalim ng bagong liderato ng Hukbong Katihan at ng ating Sandatahang Lakas, patuloy na mabibigyang lakas ang ating mga sundalo bilang mga kawal ng kapayapaan, at bilang kawal ng positibong pagbabago,” he said.

“At gaya ng lagi kong idinidiin: Karangalan kong maging Commander-in-Chief ng Sandatahang Lakas na buong loob na isinasabuhay ang Kagitingan, Integridad, at Katapatan, para sa kapwa at bansa.” (PNA)

Wesley So has abandoned his Philippine citizenship. A big loss.

North Cotabato cops hunt down suspects in 2 shooting incidents
By Edwin O. Fernandez

COTABATO CITY - Police authorities in North Cotabato have launched manhunt against gunmen who shot dead a man and seriously wounded another as the Muslims celebrate Eid'l Fitr Friday.

Unidentified gunmen on board a motorbike shot dead Abedin Sumbaga, a former bus conductor of Weena Bus Company, while he was walking in Barangay Batulawan, Pikit at 5:30 p.m. Friday, according to Sr. Insp. Sindatu Karim.

Karim, Pikit police chief, said the victim was walking at a road side when two men riding tandem on a motorbike approached him from behind and fired two shots from cal. 45 pistol.

Karim said witnesses have identified the gunmen but withheld information pending their arrest.

He said negotiations were on going with the suspects' families for their peaceful surrender.

Earlier Friday, two men riding on a motorbike also shot and seriously wounded a Muslim leader in Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Supt. Reynante delos Santos, Midsayap police chief, said the victim, Eddie Kabalu Felmin, 45, alias Commander King Size, was washing his car in front of his house in Barangay Poblacion 7 when shot.

Felmin, a member of the influential Muslim Council of Elders, sustained gunshot wounds from cal. 45 pistol on his chest and head.

He is critical condition at the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Midsayap.

Delos Santos said personal grudge could be the motive of the attackers.

No one has claimed responsibility in the shooting of Felmin whose main work, as council of elders member, was to peacefully settle family feud or "rido" among Moro families in Midsayap and nearby areas.

Both delos Santos and Karim vowed to intensify manhunt against the suspect and put a stop to the proliferation of loose firearms in their respective areas of assignment. (PNA)

A Godly Person Set Apart

Daily Devotional for Friday, July 17th, 2015

But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him. Psalm 4:3

No one is more precious in the Lord’s sight than a godly person. God is pleased whenever He finds someone who strives to live a righteous life and bring glory to Him. God sets such people apart in a special place in His heart. They are always kept before Him, and He stands ready to respond to their faintest cries for help.

Sin separates us from God, causing Him to close His ears to our praying. It is futile for us to pray when we are knowingly practicing sin. But the opposite is also true. God chooses to honor us by listening to our every cry when we are living a godly life. An abiding security comes with living a blameless life. The righteous person never has to wonder whether God has listened to his prayer (1 John 5:14-15). The godly person has confidence that God has indeed heard her prayer and will immediately respond in all of His power.

It is exhilarating to be set apart by God, knowing that God observes your consecrated life and is pleased with what He sees. What a tremendous privilege to know that your life holds a special place in God’s heart! The world may not accord any special status to you, but you will know that you are cherished by God. The world continues to find new ways to honor people, but even the world’s most extravagant accolades are pitiful compared to the unfathomable blessing of holding a special place in the heart of God! Henry and Richard Blackaby .

SEN. MARCOS URGES GOV’T TO MAKE PH MORE TOURIST-FRIENDLY

The Philippine government should spearhead efforts for tourism industry players and stakeholders to get their act together and entice more tourists to visit the country, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. said.

Marcos said this on Tuesday when asked on what he would do to further improve the tourism industry if elected President in 2016.

“The tourism industry should be a more important and larger part of our economy,” Marcos said at the Bulong Pulungan media forum at Hotel Sofitel. He noted that an average of 4.5 million international tourists arrive in the country annually, a far cry from the Department of Tourism’s target of 10 million arrivals in 2016.

While he acknowledged that DOT is doing a good job of generating publicity abroad for the Philippines, Marcos said a lot more has to be done to make the country a more attractive destination of for international tourists.

“We have to do our part. We have to make the tourism sites more accessible, we have to make the systems better: the peace and order, the safety and security of the tourists, and the facilities, like more hotels, airports---all of these things that need to be done,” Marcos said.

Marcos recalled that a few years ago, an Italian friend said he would prefer to travel to Thailand than to the Philippines because the former is much cheaper for tourists to visit.

“I said how can it be expensive? The Philippines is cheap. He said, in Thailand I pay 1000 dollars, all in, hotel, tour, food, everything, I don’t have to think about it anymore.”

In contrast, Marcos said his Italian friend complained that when he goes to the Philippines, he had to find a hotel on his own, find a drive, get a tour guide, and even make his own research for the best places to go.

“We don’t make it easy for them. They are on a holiday, they don’t want to be thinking about those things,” Marcos said.

He recalled that during his stint as Ilocos Norte Governor, the local government realized that they had to create choirs, bands, and dance troupes to provide entertainment for tourists who visited the province.

“Something as simple as that still needs to be attended to, even things like food. Tourists, depending on where they come from, like to try the local stuff.  Eventually, they want to have their own food as well. These are the little things that need to be attended to that we seem to have ignored,” he said.

If the Philippines learns from Thailand’s tourism industry, it can easily hit its target of 10 million foreign tourist arrivals annually, according to Marcos. “The Thais have done a great job. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel; we just follow their example and try to pick up the good lessons from them,” he added.

“It’s just a question of putting the systems in to make it easy for tourists to come. That means we have to organize our travel agents better, we have to organize the actual services that are being provided,” he said.

Marcos said increased foreign tourist arrivals would spur tourism-related business and generate more jobs. A report of the World Travel and Tourism Council said that the Philippine travel and tourism sector contributed a total of P1.4 trillion to the local economy in 2014.

God Honors Those Who Honor Him
Daily Devotional for Thursday, July 16th, 2015

For those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:30b

One of the many truths of the kingdom of God is that if we will honor God, He will honor us. If, however, we dare to treat Him disrespectfully, we will also be treated as least in His kingdom. The initiative rests with us. Our response to God determines His response to us. Eli had been the priest of Israel for many years, and he knew the standards for righteous living that God required. Yet Eli faced a dilemma, for his sons were living in direct opposition to God. As their father, Eli had to decide whom he would honor. He could not defer to his immoral and ungodly sons and also exalt the God he served. By default, Eli chose to honor his sons, for he did not insist that their behavior conform to God’s standards. Eli would have pleaded that he still loved God but that he simply could not bring honor to God with his family. Yet God viewed Eli’s behavior differently (1 Sam. 3:13-14). Eli revealed his own heart when he failed to honor God before the people of Israel by the way he dealt with his sons. This is why God punished Eli and his sons severely (1 Sam. 4:17-18). God is not pleased if you praise Him at church but not at your workplace. It is not acceptable for you to revere God when you are with other Christians but not in your school or neighborhood. He expects you to honor Him completely, with your words, with your actions, with your life. If you honor Him, He will honor you.

STATEMENT OF SEN. FERDINAND “BONGBONG” R. MARCOS, JR. ON THE APPOINTMENT OF NEW PNP CHIEF

I welcome the appointment of a Police Director Ricardo Marquez as the new PNP Chief.

Since the suspension of then PNP Chief Alan Purisima, I have been urging Malacanang to immediately appoint a permanent successor because a mere Officer-In-Charge lacks authority to initiate permanent policies that are crucial to the operation of the Philippine National Police.

The appointment of a permanent PNP Chief would finally bring clarity to the command structure of our police organization. I personally know Dir. Marquez because he once served as Regional Director for Region 1. I am confident that he has the ability and experience to lead the PNP and that he will discharge his duty to the best of his ability.

SEN. MARCOS REVIVES PROPOSAL FOR THE CREATION OF A DEPARTMENT OF OFW

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. revived proposals to create a Department of Overseas Filipino Workers to address the problems of Filipinos working abroad and promote their interest.

Marcos aired the proposal in an interview with Susan Katindig in the program “Bantay OCW with Susan K” over Radyo Inquirer.

“Many have suggested, and I agree, that it’s time we have a Department of OFW so we would have a Cabinet Secretary who is dedicated to the task of addressing issues of OFWs,” Marcos said.

Although there are various government agencies that deal with specific OFW concerns, Marcos said they are loosely coordinated. Often, they issue regulations that make life more difficult for OFWs.

Marcos cited the imposition of terminal fees that OFWs have to pay when they make an airline booking, when they are exempt from payment of such fees. Even if OFWs are entitled to a refund, Marcos said that many of them fail to get their money back either because they don’t know about it or because of the complicated refund procedure.

“We need somebodyâ€"say the Secretary of the Department of OFWâ€"to coordinate the delivery of services of all these agencies dealing with OFWs, study all the problems of our workers abroad, and find solutions to their problems,” Marcos said.

A separate department for OFWs is necessary because overseas workers have their own unique concerns that pertain only to their sector, said Marcos.

“We have been praising OFWs as our modern day heroes but the government has not done anything practical to significantly improve the way we take care of our OFWs,” Marcos said.

Marcos noted that the fund of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has ballooned to P14 billion, sourced from the $25 OFWs have to pay for every two-year contract, yet there are no new programs to improve the delivery of services for OFWs.

He said the new department should be able to deliver a comprehensive package of services for OFWs before they leave the country, while they are working abroad, and on their return.

However, Marcos said efforts to push for the creation of a Department of OFW will not prosper without Malacanang’s support.

“We may be able to pass such a measure in Congress but if the President refuses to sign it, it won’t become a law,” Marcos said.

Marcos insisted that OFWs deserve a better treatment from the government. He stressed that during the global economic crisis, the Philippines managed to weather the storm with the help of the OFW remittances.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported that OFW remittances reached high of $2.2 billion in April 2015. For the first four months of 2015, remittances totalled $8.6 billion.

According to the World Bank, the Philippines is the world's third-largest recipient of remittances after China and India.

“Rest assured that I will continue the work began during my father’s time to provide better support for our OFWs. I will continue pushing for the creation of a department that will take care of your welfare and your interests,” Marcos said.

Confident Hope,

Daily Devotional for Saturday, July 11th, 2015

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Hope in the Christian’s life is not wishful thinking. It is confident expectation. Those without Christ may wish things were different and wish they knew someone who could change their situations. The Christian is personally related to the Lord of the universe, who is sovereign not only over all creation but also over every circumstance we experience. We can live with confidence because our hope is in One who is faithful.

When God speaks, He stands by His word to see that it comes to pass (Isa. 55:11). When God speaks a word to you, trust Him completely, for God never deceives His children. If God has indicated to you that He is going to do something, you can be absolutely confident that He will do it.

Do you wonder why unrighteous people seem to prosper while righteous people suffer? Jesus promised that each would eventually receive a just reward (Luke 16:19-31). Do you wonder if all the effort you have put into training your children in God’s ways will bear fruit when they become adults? God promised it would (Prov. 22:6). Do you wonder if the things you renounced when you became a Christian will be replaced by God’s blessings? Jesus assured us we would receive a hundred times as much (Mark 10:29-30). Do you doubt that Jesus will return and join us with those who have already died? Scripture indicates this certainty (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

Our hope is not mere speculation in what God might do. God has given His word on many areas of life regarding things He will do. We can have confident hope in everything that He has promised. - Henry and Richard Blackaby.

No MERS infection reported in S. Korea, no death for 1 week

SEOUL - No case of infection with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was reported in South Korea Tuesday for two straight days, with no death being identified for one week, the health ministry said.

The total MERS infection cases were unchanged at 186 for two days in a row, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The spread of the deadly viral disease recently showed signs of abating. Only one case was added for four days to Sunday. No case was reported for four days through July 1.

The South Korean government planned to declare an end to the MERS spread if 28 days, or twice the 14 days of incubation period, pass by without any case of MERS infection reported.

No death was reported for a week, leaving the death toll at 33 and the fatality rate at 17.7 percent.

One more patient was discharged from a hospital as he completely recovered after being infected. The discharge number increased to 118.

Excluding the dead and those discharged, 35 patients are under treatment. Among them, only 9 are in unstable conditions.

The number of those quarantined reduced from 907 on Monday to 674 on Tuesday.

Eat mushrooms to avoid brittle bones: Australian researchers

SYDNEY - Australians should be heaping mushrooms onto plates during winter to avoid becoming vitamin D deficient, new findings released by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association suggests.

The research, which has been vetted by Foods Standards Australia New Zealand - the bi-national food safety authority - shows one serve of mushrooms bought in store can provide 20 percent of an adult's daily vitamin D needs.

Mushrooms that have been exposed to one or two seconds of UV light, a single serve can provide 100 percent of an adult's daily vitamin D needs.

Local media reported on Tuesday Australian nutritionists have long claimed mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D when people aren't getting enough from the sun, however this is the first time such research has been conducted.

Dietician Glenn Cardwell said mushrooms, like humans generate vitamin D in response to UV-light.

"We now know that mushrooms are the only food to provide 100 percent of vitamin D in one serve," Cardwell said.

Though present in only very few foods, Vitamin D is important to maintain strong bones, helping the body absorb calcium.

People who get too little Vitamin D risk developing soft, thin, and brittle bones.

Over Australia's winter period, six in 10 women and four in 10 men who are likely to be vitamin D deficient.

Those most at risk of being Vitamin D deficient are people who work indoors or who work night shifts, the elderly and housebound, naturally dark skinned people, and those who cover their bodies for cultural or religious reasons.

SEARCA, DA-BAR to conduct Knowledge Sharing Workshop

LOS BAÃ'OS, Laguna July 6 (PNA) -- The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will conduct a Knowledge Sharing Workshop among members of the Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) Community of Practice on July 7-9 , 2015 at Acuaverde Beach Resort in San Juan, Batangas.

A total of 25 participants, composed of technical staff from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), Regional Information Officers from DA Regional Field Units, and Information Officers from DA Attached Agencies, are expected to attend the training.

This activity is an important component of the project being implemented by SEARCA for DA-BAR entitled “Capacity Development Program on Knowledge Management â€" Phase II.”

The workshop is a continuation of the back-to-back Knowledge Management (KM) training held on April 13-17, 2015 at SEARCA where the same participants learned the foundational concepts and principles of KM in the agriculture and fisheries sector and demonstrated knowledge sharing to external audiences through the use of social media networks.

This knowledge sharing workshop will enable participants to learn institutional best practice on the use of social media and other platforms; share individual lessons learned based on their experiences; and appreciate the use of learning management systems (LMS) from the Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry (SARAI) project, the DA-Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and SEARCA’s Knowledge Center on Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management in Southeast Asia (KC3).

The workshop will have sessions on external and internal knowledge sharing techniques: sharing of best practice and lessons learned; blogs; community of practice (CoPs); tweets; face-to-face discussions; and world café. There will also be a corresponding workshop for each best practice sharing session.

The resource persons include Jose Rey Alo of DA-ATI, Malaya Montesur of SEARCA KC3, and Dr. Maria Victoria Espaldon of the SARAI project while Emely Amoloza will serve as the overall facilitator. Sarah Grace Quiñones and Maylyn Desamparo of the SEARCA Project Development and Technical Services (PDTS) will provide technical and administrative support during the workshop. (PNA)

Australian scientists discover new galaxy more than 5 billion light years away

CANBERRA - Australian scientists have used a new, high-tech telescope to reveal a galaxy more than five billion light years away.

The discovery, set to be announced on Monday at the British National Astronomy Meeting, was made possible by a series of radio emissions received by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization's (CSIRO) Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope (ASKAP), located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in remote Western Australia.

The CSIRO's Dr James Allison led a research team using ASKAP and the unique area of "radio quietness" surrounding the MRO to reveal more information about the far-flung galaxy.

Allison's team used a special technique to detect a change in radio waves coming from the center of a galaxy named PKS B1740-517, which is located near the Ara constellation.

The radio emission, estimated to be more than 5 billion years old, was stamped with the "imprint" of a pocket of hydrogen gas it had traveled through on its way to the earth.

The gas absorbed some of the emission, which created a minuscule "dip" in the radio signal, and Allison said the remote location of the ASKAP contributed to being able to notice the small anomaly in the signal, which led to the discovery of the galaxy.

"At many observatories, this dip would have been hidden by background radio noise, but our site is so quiet it stood out clearly," Allison said in a statement on Monday.

He said his team will use the unique radio absorption technique with ASKAP to find more galaxies that are up to 10 billion light years away from the earth and determine how much hydrogen gas they contain.

This information could help astronomers unlock vital information about why star formation, which is fueled by hydrogen gas, has dropped off in the last 10 billion years.

The ASKAP could also assist scientists in developing new techniques to study pulsars, which are radio signals pulsed from small stars, and giant starless clouds of hydrogen gas.

Australian astronomers find radio signal emitted before solar system was born

SYDNEY - Australian scientists have captured a radio signal emitted before Earth's solar system was born, revealing a new galaxy 5 billion light-years away, local media reported on Monday.

Using a ground-breaking radio telescope in remote Western Australia, the Australian scientists identified a wisp of cosmic radio waves coming from the galaxy PKS B1740-517 in the direction of the southern constellation of "Ara."

Astronomers are salivating over the discovery because the 5- billion-year-old signal - although tiny, it clearly stood out in the ASKAP data - shows Australia's new Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder project's (ASKAP) 36 dishes will be able to detect galaxies other telescopes can't.

"This catch shows we're going to bag a big haul of galaxies," research leader James Allison of Australia's scientific body CSIRO said.

Astronomers can detect a galaxy from its hydrogen gas even when its starlight is faint or hidden by dust.

The signal detected carried the 'imprint' of cold hydrogen gas - the raw material for forming stars and plentiful in most galaxies - that it passed through on its way to earth.

The gas absorbs some of the emission, creating a tiny dip in the signal.

"At many observatories, this dip would have been hidden by background radio noise, but our site is so radio quiet it stood out clearly," Allison said.

University of Sydney Professor of Astrophysics, Elaine Sadler - a member of the research team - said ASKAP looked at relatively unexplored parts of the radio spectrum 700 to 1,800 megahertz.

"This means we'll be able to detect hydrogen gas deeper in space and, thanks to ASKAP's wide field of view, also over a much larger volume than we could before," Sadler said. "We'll be hunting for galaxies that are five to eight billion years old, a time-span that represents a fifth of the universe's history."

While many radio telescopes succumb to radio interference - unwanted signals that clutter up the spectrum - the ASKAP site is exquisitely radio quiet.

India's space program to launch 5 British satellites Friday

MOSCOW - The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is set to undertake its heaviest commercial mission to date, launching five British satellites on July 10.

The ISRO and its commercial arm Antrix will use the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to put into orbit five British satellites from the spaceport of Sriharikota.

ISRO chief Dr. K Radhakrishnan said in a statement that scientists have completed “the difficult task of mounting the heavy weights on PSLV.” The total weight of the five satellites will be approximately 1,440 kilograms, making the mission the heaviest ever undertaken by ISRO and Antrix.

The payload includes three identical DMC3 optical Earth observation satellites, each of which measuring 3 meters tall and weighing 447 kg.

The rocket will also carry two auxiliary satellites built by the British Surrey Space Center (SSC). One of those is CBNT-1, a technology demonstrator Earth observation microsatellite, and the other is De-OrbitSail, a technology demonstrator nanosatellite, the ISRO statement reads. They weigh 91 and seven kilos respectively.

To mount the satellites onto the launcher, Indian scientists designed a circular Launcher adaptor and a triangular deck called a Multiple Satellite Adapter-Version 2 (MSA-V2) specifically for this mission. The satellites will watch various urban development undertakings and monitor disasters.

SYDNEY - Australian scientists on a CSIRO research ship have identified eddies swirling off the north to south Eastern Australian Current (EAC) which are providing a haven for young fish.

"Previously researchers thought fish only developed in coastal estuaries, but these huge cauldrons of nutrient rich cold water, welling up from the deep, are full of baby fish scooped up or carried along from the coast," said Professor Iain Suthers, from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.

He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the research opens a whole new way of understanding the early life of fish.

"These things last for two to three weeks which is just the right window for larval fish to grow up, get its fins, get its eyes, and then swim back to the coast and settle into an estuary," he said.

"We were really amazed by this."

"This is not in the text books, it's not in the papers, and it's probably a principle that applies to all currents, all coasts around the world."

The research team also discovered massive under water canyons off Australia's eastern seaboard.

Suthers said the canyons help the creation of the eddies, and he surmised these patterns are being repeated around the world.

"These things are found throughout the coastal oceans."

He said eddies are often hidden below a layer of warm water.

Researchers had previously thought these offshore eddies with their coastal water became "death traps."

But they now they believe the baby fish that end up in the eddies are often the lucky ones.

"Just that 10 meters below the surface was this huge cauldron of water rotating at a meter per second," he said.

"It was keeping the community nurtured because of the uplift and the cooler temperature.

"The cold water with its fertilizer, the phytoplankton, the algae at this site, it was so distinctive."

City gov’t slates week-long disaster preparedness caravan in public schools

ILOILO CITY - A week-long disaster preparedness caravan has been slated this last week in all public elementary and secondary schools in the city.

The activity facilitated by the city government’s City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and the office of councilor Love Joy Baronda is part of the activities in line with the National Disaster Consciousness Month celebration this July.

CDRRMO’s Darwin Papa said that they hope to cover even just 50 percent of the public schools in the city if not all of the elementary and secondary schools.

There will be lectures and presentations to better prepare them in case of disaster, he said.

The forum will be focusing on earthquakes and flooding, two of the identified hazards in Iloilo City.

Meanwhile, the CDRRMO will hold a simulation exercise this coming July 22 in preparation for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on July 23 and 24.

The simulation exercise will focus on preparation during earthquake and mass casualty incident.

Papa said that all other activities of the CDRRMO are presently in preparation for this city’s hosting of APEC meetings in September and October. (PNA)

Choose to Rejoice
Daily Devotional for Sunday, July 5th, 2015

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25

Your joy as a Christian should not depend on your circumstances. Joy comes from God, and therefore it cannot be affected by what is outside of you. Don’t be fooled into letting the actions of others determine your joy. True joy comes from knowing that God Himself lives within you and has fellowship with you, regardless of your environment. Real joy lies in the knowledge that holy God has completely forgiven you of every sin, and even now, He has a home prepared in heaven where you can spend eternity with Him (John 14:3). The circumstances of your life cannot change these truths! Paul and Silas faced some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. They were falsely accused, arrested, and imprisoned. They were beaten and shackled in the darkest, coldest section of the prison. But they refused to allow their horrific situation to dampen their joy! They did not blame God for allowing these things to happen to them. Instead, they praised Him for His goodness! In the darkness of the night, they prayed and they sang. God brought a miracle that released them from their chains, but perhaps the greater miracle was that His Holy Spirit could so fill them that even in their painful imprisonment they could overflow with joy! Do not allow difficult events to cancel the joy of knowing you are a child of God. Choose to allow God’s Spirit to fill you with His unquenchable joy, and your life will be a miracle to those who watch you face the trials that come.

"Never do anything in life if you would be ashamed of seeing it printed on the front page of your hometown newspaper for your family and friends to see." - Warren Buffett

pagka-dimalasa pud aning estoryaha oi. hahahah

From Jose Carillo

I’m sharing in this week’s edition of Jose Carillo’s English Forum a report that will hardly be any consolation to Filipinos who are finding to their disgust that some of the locally produced textbooks for primary and secondary students are not only incompetently written and chockfull of errors but are horribly edited or not even edited.  It’s about the finding that three current nonfiction bestsellers in the United Statesâ€"Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin, The Road to Character by David Brooks, and On the Run by Alice Goffmanâ€"contain factual inaccuracies, false statistics, or shaky details serious enough to warrant disclaimers or frantic assurances of revision by their respective publishers. The culprit? By tradition and by default, nonfiction books in the U.S. are not fact-checked to anything near the standard of a magazine piece. But because of these scandals over bestselling nonfiction running afoul with accuracy, Kachka says, the U.S. publishing status quo might shift a notch this year by finally making pre-publication fact-checking of nonfiction mandatory. Let’s not just hope but prod the Philippine publishing status quo, particularly those engaged in textbook production for public schools, to shift several notches in the same direction.

kinsa kahay bag-ong recruit ani?

giligo ra na, hubz. hehehe

The Boholano Revolution Against Spain
source: http://www.ualberta.ca/~vmitchel/alan-article.html

(By way of introduction: This is an attempt to put together and interpret some references about the longest revolution against the Spaniards in the Philippines. This story, however, is not complete. Some local references about the topic are not accessible to me at this time. Hopefully, we can find time to gather other texts (textual, oral or signs) so a better story can be told for our generation and those yet to come).

Francisco Dagohoy led the longest revolt against the Spaniards in Philippine history. The revolt took the Spaniards 85 years (1744-1829) to quell. Forced labor was one of the causes of the revolt. But what triggered the decision to rise up in arms against the Spanish authorities in Bohol was the refusal of a Jesuit priest to give a Christian burial to Dagohoy.s brother.

Dagohoy was a cabeza de barangay of Inabanga. Upon the order of Father Gaspar Morales, a Jesuit cura of Inabanga, Sagarino went to the mountains to arrest a Boholano renegade. The fugitive, however, resisted arrest and killed Sagarino in a fight before he himself died.

When Dagohoy learned about his brother.s death, he searched for his brother.s body. He found it and brought the remains to Inabanga for a Christian burial. Father Morales, however, did not agree saying the Sagarino died in a duel. Besides, Sagarino did not receive the sacrament of extreme unction. Hence, giving him a Christian burial was contrary to religious practices at that time. What complicated the situation was the order of the priest to expose the rotting corpse for about three days in front of Inabanga Church. It is also possible, however, that since the priest refused to grant the request, Dagohoy decided to place the corpse there to force the priest to change his mind. Dagohoy eventually buried his brother without the benefit of a Catholic burial.

These strings of events led Dagohoy to make a vow to correct the wrong done to his brother. In the process, he stopped paying tribute to the Spaniards and refused to render the required .forced. labor. He also called upon his relatives, friends and the other residents to do the same and fight for their freedom.

The ground was fertile for Dagohoy.s call. Around 3,000 Boholanos rallied to his call and joined him in a revolt against Spanish injustice and tyranny. Together with other leading members of the Tagbilaran, Baclayon and Dauis principalia, Dagohoy proclaimed the .Independence of Bohol. in the mountains of Talibon and Inabanga. The concept of independence, however, might not be applicable at that time. What is most likely is that the revolutionaries stopped submitting themselves to the dictates of the Spanish authorities and decided to move to the mountains where they can live on their own in peace.

Up there in the mountains, the revolutionaries established their headquarters, which they fortified with trenches of big rocks. Just like the way some upland farmers pile up big rocks on top of another in their farms. They also build dwellings for their families and cleared up some of the forest areas so that they can plant crops for their subsistence. Since Dagohoy has experience in leading a community being a cabeza de barangay, it is safe to assume that he set some rules and norms to maintain peace and order in the new community. When the other Boholanos heard about the revolt, they expressed their sympathy by joining the revolutionaries or by supplying them with arms and money.

From time to time, the revolutionaries would raid the costal towns, assault the Spanish garrisons, loot churches and kill Spaniards. In one of these raids, they killed the cura of Jagna, an Italian Jesuit priest, and Father Morales. Dagohoy fulfilled the promise he made over the grave of his brother and continued to lead the revolt until his death. It is unknown when and how he died. It is probable that he died of old age or sickness a little before or after the 1800s. What is certain is that the revolution did not end with his death.

The Spaniards were not happy with the Dagohoy-led revolt. In fact, there were several attempts to suppress it. The historian Gregorio Zaide has this to say:

News of the remarkable success of Dagohoy worried the Spanish authorities in Manila. In 1747 Bishop Juan de Arrechederra, acting Governor-General of the Philippines (1745-1750), dispatched a punitive expedition to Bohol under the command of Don Pedro Lechuga. Commander Lechuga won a few skirmishes but failed to crush the rebellion. In desperation, he sent a commando unit into the mountains to kill or capture Dagohoy, his sister Gracia, and other leaders. The commandos returned empty-handed because they could not penetrate Dagohoy.s fortified stronghold (p. 154)..

The nationalist historian Renato Constantino also narrated Spanish efforts to quell the revolt. He said:

Perhaps the best indication of the importance and the success of this rebellion may be seen in the persistent efforts exerted by both the State and the Church to negotiate with Dagohoy. After the unsuccessful military attempts to suppress the revolt, it was the Church.s turn to make the effort. Bishop Espeleta of Cebu tried to persuade the rebels to give up their resistance by promising to secure a general amnesty, to find remedies for the abuses of government officials, and to assign secular priests instead of Jesuits to the Bohol parishes. The rebels refused the offer..

The revolt continued. By 1770, five years before the waging of the American War for Independence against Great Britain, there were already about 30,000 revolutionaries in Bohol.

It was only in April 1828, three years after the arrival of Governor-General Mariano Ricafort, that the Spaniards sent its strongest expedition to Bohol. This is understandable because Spain experienced problems in its other colonies in the 1800s. For instance, the Spanish American colonies revolted in 1810 until 1826, thus severing the link between Acapulco and Manila. It was, therefore, a hard time for Spain. It was no longer a world superpower as it was in the 16th century. And it could not quell the Dagohoy revolution in Bohol.

Probably to help save its face after its defeats from the forces of Dagohoy and its loss of colonies, Spain decided to put an end to the revolt using Spanish and native (like Cebuanos) troops. According to Zaide:

Fighting with desperate courage, the indomitable Boholanos resisted the enemy, whose heavy artillery pieces caused much havoc to their fortifications and took a terrible toll of human lives. Wearied by the ceaseless combat, weakened by hunger and thirst, and depleted in numerical strength, they made their last stand in the mountain of Boasa under the command of the valiant brothers, Handog and Auag. In June 1829, they fought their last battle and were crushed by Spain.s superior arms. The survivors fled into the forest, where they grimly continued to carry on their hopeless cause (p. 156).

The revolt ended formally on August 31, 1829. Manuel Sanz, commander of the Spanish forces, officially reported that 3,000 Boholanos escaped to other islands, 19,420 surrendered, 395 died in battle, 98 were exiled and around ten thousand revolutionaries were resettled in the areas of Balilihan, Batuan, Bilar, Cabulao and Catigbian. These figures all point to the fact that the revolt was widespread in the province, hence, it was not simply a Dagohoy revolt. Dagohoy started it and continued to be a source of inspiration to his comrades even after his death. But it was a Boholano revolution against Spain.

Notes:
Some sources claim that the real name of Dagohoy was Francisco Sendrijas and that he is called Dagohoy due to his ability to move like the wind. Literally, the name is a combination of .dagon sa hoyohoy. that means .talisman from the breeze..
2. Constantino claimed that Dagohoy.s brother, Sagarino, was a renegade who had abandoned the Christian religion and that Father Morales ordered a native constable to arrest Sagarino. Sagarino resisted arrest and killed the constable before he himself died.

Main References:

Agoncillo, Teodoro A. History of the Filipino People. GAROTECH Publishing, 1990 (8th Edition).

Constantino, Renato. The Philippines: A Past Revisited. Tala Publishing Series, 1975.

Zaide, Gregorio F. Great Filipinos in History: An Epic of Filipino Greatness in War and Peace. Verde Bookstore, 1970.

Zaide, Gregorio. Dagohoy: Champion of Philippine Freedom. Manila: Enriquez, Alduan and Co., 1941.

Farmers nominate Legazpi CAFC for Gawad Saka achievers award
By Emmanuel P. Solis

LEGAZPI CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- After winning the Regional Gawad Saka Award in April, the Legazpi City Agricultural and Fishery Council (CAFC) has been nominated by the city’s High Value Commercial Crop Farmers Association Inc. for the Gawad Saka National Achievers Award, City Agriculturist Jesus Kallos said in an interview on Thursday.

Gawad Saka is an annual recognition of the Department of Agriculture for the best practices of farmers and fishermen in their own respective areas.

Kallos said his office has already received the communication from the DA regional office regarding the evaluation of the performance and accomplishments of the CAFC to be conducted by the DA this coming Aug. 4-7 for the final national judging.

For the past two years, CAFC has performed a remarkable accomplishment that involves maintaining of nurseries of fruit-bearing and other trees.

It has also made resolutions and recommendations as part of paving the way for the issues and concerns to go directly to government agencies or other institutions for necessary action.

It further links with private sector and works as a volunteer for the development and progress of the city’s agricultural and fishing sector, Kallos said.

He said the CAFC serves as the monitoring arm of the city administration and the DA to make sure that all the services and other assistance from the national government in the agricultural sector are well implemented.

Legazpi City has been awarded by the DA and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and one of the recipients of the 2014 Gawad ng Pagrerehistro ng mga Mangingisda and Fishing Landing Award by ranking number 38 among the top municipalities and cities with most number of registered fisher folk in the national program.

The registration aims to put the fishermen in the right perspective and to identify the people in the community who are involved in the fishing industry.(PNA)

NFA to inspect markets even no reports of fake rice in NegOcc

BACOLOD CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental has not received any report on the presence of synthetic or fake rice in the province but it will conduct an inspection in markets this week as directed by the NFA Central Office.

Procopio Trabajo II, NFA provincial manager, said it is unlikely for fake rice to enter the province since local markets have choking rice supply, and retailers are equipped in determining whether the product is fake.

“With the competitive prices of rice in the market, I don’t think that our retailers will be tempted to buy fake rice,” Trabajo said.

Nevertheless, fake rice is real so awareness and vigilance should continue, he added.

Following reports on the alleged proliferation of synthetic rice in Mindanao, Trabajo said the NFA Central Office instructed them to inspect all markets in the country prior to the release of laboratory test result of alleged fake rice samples in Davao City.

In Negros Occidental, Trabajo said they will start inspecting both NFA and commercial rice retailers in major markets in Bacolod City Thursday.

He said that all licensed rice stores and retailers, including mall supermarkets, as well as traders from all cities and municipalities in the province will also be inspected in the coming days.

“It will be a simultaneous national inspection to contain fake rice spread that made initial showing in Davao City,” he added.

Trabajo also urged the public to be vigilant and report to NFA office any suspicious kind of rice monitored in the market.(PNA)

Legazpi bans fishing in 3-ha reef damaged by Vietnamese vessel

LEGAZPI CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The City Government of Legazpi has declared the three-hectare Demson Reef, locally known as “Pulang Buya,” in Albay Gulf as off-limits to fishermen.

This marks the start of rehabilitation works on the 1,200-square-meter coral reef destroyed by a Vietnamese cargo vessel that ran aground last month at the city’s shallow reef, Jess Kallos, City Agriculture Office chief, said Thursday.

Kallos said the “no fishing” order is just temporary though it would deprive hundreds of fishermen of daily fish catch.

In an interview, he said the order will give their office sufficient time to conduct a careful study and plan out rehabilitation measures that would restore the damages wrought by the cargo vessel when it ran aground at the Pulang Buya's shallow reef, four kilometers from the city shorelines.

He said the Hoang Ang Shipping, the owner of the Ocean 3 -- a Vietnamese cargo vessel, has earlier paid PHP4-million to the city government as settlement for the damages it caused to the city’s coral reef.

The cargo vessel, with 4,532 gross tonnage and manned by 21 Vietnamese crewmen, was reportedly departing from the city port after unloading tons of imported rice from Vietnam when it ran aground and ravaged the city’s affected coral reef.

Kallos said the rehabilitation plan also includes an alternative livelihood program for hundreds of displaced fishermen that would not be allowed to catch fish at the three-hectare marine reserve.

He said there are at least 937 registered fishermen here affected by the “no fishing” order.

Meanwhile, City Mayor Noel Rosal directed the city agriculture office to draw up a comprehensive three-year program that will rehabilitate the coral reefs and provide alternative livelihood to the affected fisher folk.

Rosal also ordered the putting up of a permanent marker surrounding the three-hectare shallow reef to prevent sea vessels to cruise in this shallow waters of Albay Gulf.

Aside from the city “Bantay Dagat” patrol, the city will also employ additional men to patrol the marine reserve on a 24/7 basis. (PNA)

Army's 2nd IB head apologizes to sisters' group for 'hostage drama' in convent
By Rose Olarte

LEGAZPI CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army led by Lt. Col. Perfecto Peñaredondo and two of his men personally and officially apologized and asked for forgiveness from the administration of the Good Shepherd Home sisters and the women-residents of the institution for the incident that happened on July 16, 2014 involving the unit's two members.

It can be recalled that two 2IB's men -- Pfc. Ariel Licayan and Cafgu Auxiliary Army member Ronel del Castillo -- forcibly entered the convent in Barangay San Roque, Legazpi City, with their firearms hidden in a sack, and held hostage the occupants of the convent.

Typhoon "Glenda" had just ravaged the city and neighboring areas.

Licayan and Castillo allegedly had family problem and were starving at that time, factors that forced them to do the crime. Hundreds of kibitzers swamped he area, prompting Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal and other city officials to come to the scene and appeal to the two not to harm all those inside the Good Shepherd Home.

The two finally yielded to the call for them to give up to the authorities.

After surrendering and thorough investigation, Licayan was committed to the V. Luna Hospital for mental rehabilitation.

Peñaredondo personally handed the copy of the "nostra culpa" to Sister Ma. Alicia Andres, head of the Good Shepherd Home.

In the letter dated June 25 2015, Peñaredondo said Licayan and Del Castillo apologized and swore that the incident will never happened again.

Another letter with the same date, signed by lawyer Juan D. Peralta, 2IB legal counsel, expressed the battalion's official request for apology and forgiveness.

Peñaredondo said in the document that as the commander of the battalion, he assumed the full responsibility of what Licayan and Del Castillo had done -- entering the convent without permission and bearing their firearms placed inside a sack.

He stressed that what his men had done violated their sworn duty to the Filipino people as their protectors.

“Kami ay nanunumpa sa abot ng aming kakayahan, na hindi na hahayaang maulit ang ganitong pangyayari at sisikapin namin na gampanan ang aming tungkulin na pangalagaan ang kapayapaan at maging tunay na lingkod ng mamamayan (We swear, to the best of our ability, never to allow this incident to happen again and try our best to fulfill our duty to ensure peace and be true servants of the people),” the soldiers said in the signed nostra culpa.(PNA)

Topnotch 42IB undergoes retraining to enhance capabilities
By John Mark Escandor

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur, July 2 (PNA) -- The 42nd Infantry (Tagapagtanggol) Battalion has started retraining of its personnel with opening ceremonies on Wednesday at the parade grounds of the 9th Infantry Division here.

The ceremony was graced by Maj. Gen. Yerson E. Depayso, 9ID commander, as the keynote speaker to formally welcome the brave and gallant warriors of the 42IB under the command of Lt. Col. Joselito P. Pastrana, battalion commander, according to Mardjorie Paimela Panesa, division spokesperson.

Tracing the humble beginning of 42IB, Panesa said, it was organized under the 2nd Infantry Division on March 2, 1977 pursuant to Section 1, General Order Number 77, Headquarters Philippine Army, dated March 9, 1977.

It was first deployed in the Quezon-Bicol Zone but before the end of year 1977, the battalion was redeployed in Davao del Sur where it operated in many provinces of Mindanao, confronting the southern Philippines’ secessionist groups.

When the battalion was recalled to Luzon on April 19, 1982, it was accorded with a Heroes’ Welcome at Headquarters Philippine Army, Fort Bonifacio, for its remarkable achievements.

In the same year, the unit was redeployed in Quezon-Bicol Zone.

On Dec. 29, 1991, the unit was transferred at Camp Busig-on, Barangay Tulay na Lupa, Labo, Camarines Norte, with the whole province of Camarines Norte and Sipocot, Camarines Sur as its area of operation.

In 2000, when the 9th Infantry Brigade (Separate) was activated, the battalion was placed under its operational control, with Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte as its area of operation.

In 2002, the 9th Infantry Division was activated with the entire Bicol Region as its area of responsibility and placed the battalion as one of its operating units under the 902nd Infantry Brigade.

The battalion was then relocated in Barangay Mabalodbalod, Tigaon, Camarines Sur.

Its area of operation covered Camarines Sur and Catanduanes.

In 2005, its area of operation was again realigned after the 65th Infantry Battalion assumed responsibility over Catanduanes province.

The 42IB was adjudged as the Best Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division and the Best in Civil-Military Operation in the entire Philippine Army for the year 2006.

The unit achieved numerous accomplishments and once again adjudged as the best battalion of 9ID for the third quarter of Calendar Year 2009.

It was also adjudged as the Top Four Battalions in the whole Philippine Army of 2010.

In 2012, the battalion was tasked to clear the 1st, 2nd and 5th Districts of Camarines Sur by way of Bayanihan Team Activities.

This year, the normalization of Camarines Sur was realized as manifested by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding declaring the province as Conflict Manageable and Ready for Further Development last May 25, 2015 between the Provincial Government Unit and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The 42IB will undergo two months of retraining in order to enhance its operational readiness, develop unit cohesion, fighting spirit and combat performance of the troops and improve core competencies and functional capabilities.

During the two-month retraining, the area of responsibility of the 42IB is temporarily taken over by the Task Group “Cam Sur” composed of one company from HHSBn, 91st Division Reconnaissance Company, 92nd CMO Coy and 92nd Division Reconnaissance Company which will be under the command of Col. Ferozaldo Paul T. Regencia as Task Group commander, concurrent to his designation as deputy brigade commander of 902nd Infantry Brigade.(PNA)

Zambo mayor order clearing of drainage to avert flooding

ZAMBOANGA CITY, July 2 (PNA) -â€" Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has directed the City Engineer’s Office and the General Services Office to keep this city’s drainage channels clear from obstructions to prevent and mitigate floodings.

Salazar’s directive came as this city experienced inclement weather the past days brought about by the low pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

“The General Services Office and the City Engineer’s Office must be on top of the situation,” Salazar said.

Salazar noted that heavy rainfall resulted in a surge of flood water which rendered several streets downtown unpassable.

While flooding in geographically low-lying areas such as Pilar Street is a perennial concern, Salazar believes that a restructuring of the drainage system is a more durable and viable solution than installing a pumping station in the area.

“There is really a need to study, arrange and repair the drainage because this (flooding) is a perennial problem. They need to restructure it in such a way that the level of the drainage and the level of the sidewalk will not be covering the passage of the water,” she added.

She likewise advised the riverbank dwellers and coastal areas to take precautionary measures.

She placed the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) on alert to respond to cases of flooding and other rain-related incidents. (PNA)

75,000 individuals affected by floods in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- More than 15,000 families in Maguindanao have been adversely affected by flood caused by continuous heavy rainfall these past days, disaster officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Thursday said.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and ARMM Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team (ARMM-HEART), flooding has been observed in 68 barangays affecting 15,099 families, or 75,495 individuals, in 10 towns in Maguindanao.

The affected towns are Ampatuan, Datu Salibo, Rajah Buayan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Buluan, Mangudadatu, Pandag, Datu Paglas, Datu Abdullah Sangki and Sultan Sa Barongis, which suffered most with 2,913 families, or 14,565 individuals, affected or displaced.

On June 30, the town council of Sultan sa Barongis declared a state of calamity.

The flooding also disrupted classes in 23 public schools affecting 8,111 elementary and secondary students and 178 teachers.

Around 487 hectares of farmland were also damaged with losses amounting to at least PHP10 million.

As part of its relief assistance, the ARMM-HEART distributed on Thursday, July 2, food packs, school supplies, and hygiene kits to the affected families in Sultan Sa Barongis.

OCD-ARMM augmented the assistance by donating 1,635 pieces of slippers and 2,000 pieces of pails and dippers.

Lawyer Kirby Abdullah, ARMM-HEART focal person, said the same assistance will also be extended to other affected municipalities.

“Tuloy-tuloy ang tulong natin sa mga apektado ng pagbaha hanggang kailangan (Our assistance will continue in areas affected by the floods as long as such assistance is needed),” said Abdullah.

He said the agency’s operating fund and the region’s calamity fund will cover the necessary expenses for the relief operation.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the downpours experienced in Maguindanao since June 24 were due to an Inter Tropical Convergence Zone.

Lynette Estandarte, Maguindanao budget officer, told reporters that the province aid agency had dispersed more than three tons of food and non-food relief supplies to the displaced villagers of Sultan sa Barongis and nearby towns.

Aid workers also distributed pails, kitchen wares and sleeping mats to evacuees.

Anticipating more communities to be flood as rain continue, Estandarte said relief workers are now packing food supplies that include canned goods, instant noodles and rice for distribution to flood victims in the 10 other flooded Maguindanao towns.

Agriculture officials are yet to determine the extent of damages to agriculture.

PAGASA said that moderate to heavy rains in the region and in other parts of Mindanao will continue due to a tropical depression expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility by next week. (PNA)

26,000 residents affected by floods in SOCCSKSARGEN

COTABATO CITY, July 2 - The office of civil defense in the SOCCSKSARGEN region Thursday said the flash floods that hit the region has affected 4,436 families or about 26,600 individuals.

Region 12, SOCCSKSARGEN region, is comprised of the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Saranggani and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Koronadal, Tacurong and Gen. Santos City.

Jerome Barranco, Office of Civil Defense (OCD-12) deputy regional director, said the inclement weather has affected about 26,000 residents in 78 villages.

Barranco, citing OCD monitoring record, said the flash floods and continuous down pour have affected 4,436 families or more than 26,600 individuals.

South Cotabato was heavily affected with two bridges remain impassable and vast agricultural lands destroyed when major tributaries overflowed last week.

It also destroyed PHP101 million worth of agricultural crops.

OCD said four persons were killed due to landslides last week while five others were wounded.

On Wednesday, the Sultan Kudarat provincial board has passed a resolution putting the entire province under state of calamity because of flash floods that destroyed more than PHP300 million worth of agricultural products.

To date, the total reported damages to crops and other agricultural products in Region 12 has reached PHP401 million.

It also reported that 46 houses were partially and totally damaged.

On Infrastructure, the OCD reported that seven bridges have been affected, two were totally destroyed, two flood control projects damaged. All roads remained passable, though. (PNA)

Boy pinned to death in Zambo Sibugay amidst inclement weather

ZAMBOANGA CITY, July 2 (PNA) -â€" A boy was killed when two fruit-bearing trees were uprooted and crashed a nipa hut amidst inclement weather in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, the police reported Thursday.

Insp. Dahlan Samuddin, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, identified the victim as Ken Raven Celebrado, six, who died of head injuries.

Samuddin said the incident occurred around 3 p.m. Wednesday at Purok 4, Barangay Maganay, Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Samuddin said Celebrado, a grade one pupil, was asleep when the boy was pinned to death after two star apple trees crashed on top of the nipa hut at the height of heavy rains coupled with strong winds. (PNA)

110 pupils in Pangasinan hospitalized for eating 'expired' chewing gum

SAN CARLOS CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- A total of 110 grade school children from the Guelew Integrated School here were rushed to the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH) in Barangay Bolingit, San Carlos City after suffering stomach pain, vomiting and dizziness shortly after eating Menthos chewing gum which they bought from a store in front of their school early today, Thursday.

Dr. Policarpio Manuel, PPH director, said the pupils with their parents and teachers arrived on board three or four jeepneys and several tricycles starting at 10:00 a.m. and were immediately brought to the pediatric wards where they were given intravenous fluid or dextrose.

Manuel said only intravenous fluid was given to the victims yet as the patients were placed under observation for at least 24 hours and if they will suffer loose vowel movements afterwards, they will be given medicines.

He said they already called their toxicologist who specializes in treating food poisoning cases but added that there is nothing to worry about as the children are in stable condition.

"What we are anticipating is that the children will suffer loose bowel movement. But none of them showed that kind of condition yet," he added.

Manuel said the Menthos chewing gum with the label "3D" was the one the pupils had bought and eaten which allegedly caused them to suffer stomach pain, dizziness and caused them to vomit.

He said this will be referred right away to the Food and Drug Agency (FDA) of the Department of Health (DOH).

His worry, however, is the number of victims might still increase as the Menthos chewing gum was believed also sold in other stores in San Carlos City.

A teacher told the PNA that the expiration date of the said chewing gum was deliberately removed from the label, which could mean that the product had long expired.

He said they went to see the owner of the store from where the pupils bought the Menthos chewing gum and learned that he bought the same from a store in Urbiztondo, adding that when he went to see that store, it was already closed.

Manuel said if some more victims will be brought in, they may be compelled to open their gymnasium as an extension of the ward to be able to attend to all. (PNA)

Completion of Panguil Bay Bridge to perk economy in Misamis Occidental

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -â€" The opening of the Panguil Bay Bridge in Misamis Occidental would certainly perk up the economy of the once sleepy town of Tangub City and nearby province and localities.

The construction of the 3.6-kilometer Panguil Bay Bridge costing Php 5 billion is now underway. The bridge’s scheduled completion is in 2018, an official of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said on Thursday.

NEDA Regional Director Leon Dacanay, said that this early, both foreign and local businesses have already expressed intention to invest in Tangub City once the bridge opens.

“The investors are already planning to build a five-star hotel in Tangub City because the city is the gateway to the Zamboanga Peninsula,” Dacanay said.

He said that it is only a 15-minute drive from Ozamis City to the west and a five-minute drive through the bridge to the south, which is Tubod, the capital town of Lanao Del Norte.

Under current conditions, motorists have to endure queuing from both banks of Panguil Bay in Ozamiz City and Kolambugan, Lanao Del Norte for a quick ferry ride from one direction to the other.

“When the Panguil Bay Bridge opens, there will be a smooth flow of traffic. No more hassles of queuing,” Dacanay said.

Situated at the southern curve of the D-shaped province of Misamis Occidental, the fabled Mt. Malindang Range casts a shadow that shelter Tangub City to the north, a city bounded by the placid seas of the Panguil Bay to the south.

Tangub City is composed of 55 villages with a land area of 16,572 hectares. Its economy relies heavily on coconut, corn and banana farming.

Dacanay said that the completion of the Panguil Bay Bridge three years from now, would definitely improve the economy of Tangub as the flow of goods and services between Northern and Western Mindanao regions gains new heights. (PNA)

Negros Occidental farmers' coop asks NIR-TWG to establish admin center at Dacongcogon sugar mill complex

BACOLOD CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The Dacongcogon Farmers Producers Cooperative led by lawyer Rolando Parpa Sr. is calling on the Negros Island Region-Technical Working Group (NIR-TWG) to set up the regional administrative center in Barangay Tabugon, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.

The proposed site is where the Dacongcogon sugar mill is located, said Parpa, who chairs the cooperative, in a press statement.

The mill has ceased its operations several years back.

He noted that the sugar mill served as economic center for the farmers at the common hinterlands of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, adding that the milling facility was a backbone of the economy for the 10,000-member cooperative for the past 40 years.

Parpa added that the sugar mill management has established road networks from the hinterland boundaries of the two Negros provinces towards the sugar central.

These traditional routes will provide convenient access to the public who may transact business at the regional center, he said.

Parpa also said the construction of new, or rehabilitation of roads toward Barangay Tabugon will provide farmers access to the markets and will also trigger development in agriculture.

Moreover, Parpa said they are asking Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II to intercede with President Benigno S. Aquino III to act on their request for assistance to revive operations of the Dacongcogon sugar mill.(PNA)

More skills training eyed to boost IT industry in Western Visayas

ILOILO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- Western Visayas is positioning itself for the continuous growth of the Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry in the region by seeing to it that it could meet the manpower requirement of around 12,000.

In line with this, through a resolution that was enacted by the Economic Development Committee (EDC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC) has urged the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) to expand its training for work scholarship program (TWSP) on IT.

Data from the RDC disclosed that IT-BPO investment in the region has increased from PHP6 billion in 2012 to PHP11 billion in 2015, thereby creating 142,000 indirect jobs.

Currently, TESDA has 200 TWSP vouchers for IT courses.

The EDC in a resolution submitted to the RDC cited that increasing the number of vouchers “will improve the skills of more individuals and increase their eligibility for employment in the IT-BPO industry.” (PNA)

DILG 6 completes implementation of PHP25-M Salintubig projects in 7 LGUs

ILOILO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- Twenty-six projects worth around PHP25 million funded under the 2012 Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig sa Lahat (Salintubig) regular program have been completed in seven local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas.

Data from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) disclosed that as of first semester of the year projects were completed in towns of Barbaza in Antique; Cuartero and Dumarao in Capiz; Alimodian, Cabatuan and Sta. Barbara, Iloilo and Pontevedra in Negros Occidental.

Iloilo has 16 completed projects to include the construction of 11 Level II Water supply System in Alimodian; expansion and rehabilitation of existing four Level 2 systems in Cabatuan and the rehabilitation and expansion of Tugas Level III Water System in Sta. Barbara.

Moreover, six completed projects were in Barbaza, Antique composed of the construction of six communal water supplies.

The two completed projects in Capiz are the construction of reinforced concrete elevated tank in Cuartero and construction of Level II water system in Dumarao.

In Negros Occidental, the rehabilitation of two water supply system projects has been completed.

DILG in 2012 has allotted PHP88 million for 52 projects to be implemented in selected municipalities in the region. Thirteen of the projects are ongoing while the rest are on their preparatory stage.

Salintubig, which is a tripartite program of the Department of Health (DOH, National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) and the DILG, seeks to cover 17 LGUs in the region for the 2012 funding.

Once completed, the program would be able to help increase by 50 percent the water service for the waterless population; reduce by 20 percent the incidence of water-borne and sanitation related diseases and improve access of the poor to sanitation services by 10 percent this 2015. (PNA)

Concrete bridge in Mamasapano to be opened in next month

MAMASAPANO, Maguindanao, July 2 (PNA) -- Public works officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and in Maguindanao are optimistic the concrete foot bridge crossing the Tukanalipao River will be completed by August amid torrential rain in the region.

The concrete bridge is being built near the iconic bullet-riddled wooden footbridge several meters away from site of January 25 encounter between members of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) and Moro rebels in Mamasapano town.

The road was one of the many projects initiated by Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and officials of the ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways following the unfortunate Mamasapano incident.

Samsudin Salendab, a corn farmer, said she was excited seeing the completion of the project because it will give them easy access in transporting corn products to the town center.

She recalled crossing the wooden bridge was very difficult, especially at night.

James Mlok, Maguindanao’s 2nd District Engineering chief, remain optimistic the multi-million footbridge and the farm-to-market road leading to the concrete bridge will be opened to the public next month.

Mlok is supervising the completion of the project which was constructed by ARMM workers and 6th Infantry Division engineers.

Aside from the foot bridge, ARMM and the military turned over a mosque constructed nearby which was timely as Muslims observe the fasting month of Ramadhan.

Mlok said the villagers of Tukanalipao, one of the poorest villages of Maguindanao, have been helping the project. (PNA)

P30.236M worth of BuB funded water projects completed in Western Visayas

ILOILO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- Some PHP30.236 million worth of water projects identified and funded under the Bottom-up-Budgeting approach in Western Visayas were completed as of first half of 2015.

The projects were implemented by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) using the 2013 funds.

DILG data showed three completed and fully functional projects in Balete, Ibajay and Libacao in Aklan and four projects in towns of Caluya, Lau-an, Patnongon and San Remegio in Antique.

In Negros Occidental, 16 projects were finished composed of three each in Cauayan and Murcia and one each in Bago City, Escalante City, Himamaylan City, Sagay City, Sipalay City, Hinobaan, Ilog, Kabankalan, La Castellana and Moises Padilla.

Fourteen local government units in the region are supposed to benefit from BuB projects that will be implemented using the 2013 funds under the tutelage of the DILG.

The rest of the projects are already ongoing.

On the other hand, 77 projects will be implemented under the 2014 BuB in 56 LGUs in the region amounting to PHP130.533 million.

Of the target projects 58 have already an approved feasibility study while five are in still in their preparation stage. (PNA)

SP-Cagayan gives plaque of recognition to Cagayana SEA Games gold medalist

TUGUEGARAO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The Provincial Board of Cagayan has recognized the contribution of a Cagayana in the gold medal gain of the Philippines in the recently concluded 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

In a resolution passed during its 63rd regular session Wednesday, the board unanimously approved the awarding of a plaque of recognition to Sea woman First Class Elvie Baldivino, a native of Buguey, Cagayan, for winning the gold medal in the women’s Individual Precision Pistol Shooting in the games.

Baldivino, who is a member of the elite Philippine Naval Special Operations Group, bested all competitors in the pistol shooting competition bagging the gold medal.

“It is only fitting that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Cagayan recognize the sterling performance of Elvie Baldivino and hereby awards her a plaque of recognition and appreciation for her golden feat”, the resolution stated.

Board member Ramon Nolasco from the first district of Cagayan authored the resolution.

The resolution also orders that copies of it be furnished to the Philippine Navy’s Special Operations group for their information. (PNA)

Zamboanga Peninsula SME Caravan kicks off

ZAMBOANGA CITY, July 2 (PNA) -â€" The Zamboanga Peninsula Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Caravan kicked-off Thursday in this city.

Eng’r. Rolando Acuña, DTI provincial director, said the kick-off activities were held at the gymnasium of Barangay Ayala, 16.5 kilometers west of City Hall.

Acuña said a lecture on current design trends and importance of product development was held Thursday morning, which is the first day of the caravan, and was followed by the presentation of the programs of the SME Core Agencies.

Acuña said the presentation of the programs was simultaneously conducted with the product development sessions, which was handled by professional product development consultants.

He said that the one-on-one consultations of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with SME Core Agencies and product development sessions resumed in the afternoon.

He said the second day--Friday--of the Zamboanga City Leg of the ZAMPEN SME Caravan will feature an entrepreneurship seminar and seminar on pricing and costing.

He said the SME Core one-on-one consultations and product development sessions will continue in the corner of the venue while the seminars are on-going.

Thereafter, the Caravan will head to Liloy, Zamboanga Del Norte; then to Molave, Zamboanga Del Sur; and, finally, to Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay where similar services will be offered to the MSMEs.

This year’s SME Caravan will be capped by a two-day Regional SME Conference from July 30 to 31 in this city.

Conducted yearly as a regular project of the ZAMPEN SME Core Group, the Caravan brings government services closer to the grassroots as was intended since its inception in 2003.

However, Acuña said this year the caravan will take a step closer to the grassroots unlike the previous caravans where the event is held in the provincial and city centers.

Acuña said it is hoped that the services the caravan bring will reach more MSMEs that were unserved by the previous caravans by veering away from city centers and conducting it in the region’s emerging growth centers.

The ZAMPEN SME Caravan aims to serve as the central venue for the provision of technical and consultancy services to MSMEs by member agencies of the ZAMPEN SME Core Group.

It also aims to serve as a channel for the dissemination of information related to new policies, guidelines, opportunities and other information relevant to the MSME sector. (PNA)

NBI probes slay of NegOcc board member; bounty raised to P2.5 million
By Teresa D. Ellera

BACOLOD CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in this city has joined the investigation of the murders of Negros Occidental Fifth District Board Member Renato Malabor and his aide Leody Jomilla.

NBI-Bacolod head Renato Garbo said Wednesday the killings were carried out by five to six persons, based on the investigation they conducted at the crime scene in Barangay Guintubhan in Isabela town.

The gunman was not alone. He had lookouts inside the cockpit where Malabor and Jomilla stayed, and also outside when he carried out the execution until he fled, investigation showed.

“It was carried out by an organized group. It was well planned and was carried out smoothly by the suspects. The gunman was informed from the inside that Malabor and Jomilla were coming out of the cockpit," Garbo added.

The NBI-Bacolod is conducting a parallel investigation of the killing of Malabor and Jomilla based on the request of Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. to speed up the resolution of the case.

Garbo said they will also dig deeper into some accounts that Malabor had received threats through text messages, informing him that P1 million was paid for his head.

"We are investigating all angles, including the initial motive revealed that the killing is politically-motivated,” he added.

Meanwhile, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) added P500,000 to the P2 million bounty offered by Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. to anyone who can give information that can lead to the arrest of the killers.

Vice Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the additional P500,000 will be contributed by the board members from their salaries.

Everyone interposed no objection in raising the reward for the early resolution of the case, Lacson said.

During Wednesday’s session the Provincial Board was emotional. The board members opened the session by offering a prayer led by Lacson. They gathered around at the table and chair of Malabor then said a silent prayer.

Everyone at the session hall became teary eyed when Fifth District Board Member Alain Gatuslao read the SP resolution extending their sincerest condolences to the family of Malabor.

Also present during the session were some medical staff of the Ignacio Arroyo Memorial Hospital, who narrated the details when Malabor was brought to the hospital until he was transferred and died on the way to the Bacolod Adventist Hospital.(PNA)

DAR-2 awards farm machineries to farmers in Ballesteros, Cagayan

TUGUEGARAO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Regional Office 2 recently turned over common service facilities (CSF) to an Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization (ARBO) in Ballesteros, Cagayan.

Nararagan Valley Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MPC) received five floating tillers from DAR-2 under its Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) program.

In her statement, DAR Assistant Regional Director Jessbeth Quidasol said “almost a thousand members of the cooperative will benefit from the project that aims to increase their produce, improve their access to appropriate agricultural technologies, and lessen their farm expenses while enhancing productivity.”

Apart from Nararagan Valley MPC as the lead ARBO, the Golden Harvest Cluster MPC in Abulug, Cagayan will also benefit from the facilities as a radiating ARBO. Abulug is an adjacent town of Ballesteros.

This means the facilities have a total service area of 1,746 hectares in the two northwestern municipalities of Cagayan.

In 2013, Nararagan Valley MPC had received from DAR-2 farm machineries that include three units of hand tractors with implements and trailer, two units of rice thresher, four units of water pumps and a flatbed dryer.

“The ARBO was able to access the farm machineries from DAR because of its organizational maturity,” Quidasol said.The official also said, “the cooperative is again due to receive a 4WD tractor 35 HP with implements in the next batch of CSF distribution under the ARCCESS program.” (PNA)

DOLE ups effort to “set free” child laborers in Western Visayas

ILOILO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- Family as the core of the community must provide the needs of their children; however, if poverty started to infiltrate its fury to a home this could lead to any way out for the family to survive. This survival leads a family to consider children as part of the labor force, allowing their frail bodies to be exposed to hazardous conditions just to earn something to help out the family.

As part of its effort to liberate children from this menace, the Department of Labor and Employment 6 released P2-million to the local government officials of Barangay Mostro, Anilao, Iloilo to fund the various Backyard Animal-Raising Projects of the parents of child laborers in this barangay under DOLE's Intergrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program or DILEEP.

This assistance will help create additional sources of income to around 200 parents of child laborers and encourage them to keep their children in school.

Barangay Mostro, an economically-depressed barangay in Anilao with high incidence of child labor, is one of the nine barangays in Iloilo province that is being prepared to become child labor-free in 2016. Other barangays are Palaypay and Poblacion also in Anilao, De la Paz and Libertad in Banate, San Antonio and Vista Alegre in Barotac Viejo and Alabidhan and Poblacion in Bingawan.

DOLE Region 6 Director Ponciano M. Ligutom was happy that the needs of the families of child laborers were given attention by providing such support which will facilitate their children’s removal from work and keep them in school.

Bgy. Mostro Captain Juvy Aculla was grateful for the support given to his 200 constituents, saying that “it is a big help for their families to earn additional income.”

To ensure that parents will take seriously their responsibility, they were made to sign an oath of undertaking where they pledged to stop the children from working by keeping them in school.

Meanwhile, as part of the 2015 Labor Month Celebration, the DOLE-Regional Coordinating Council released children’s books and school kits to around 235 child laborers during the Zumba Para sa mga Batang Manggagawa held last May 23, 2015 at Jaro Plaza gym, Jaro, Iloilo City. This event, spearheaded by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB), heightened public awareness on the government’s campaign against child labor.

Some 235 child laborers from the nine barangays earlier identified received school kits. This undertaking brought so much joy on the innocent faces of these children. They were overjoyed, a contrast from what they felt when they were working in a vast sugarcane plantation under the scorching heat of the sun.

The kits consisted of back pack, notebooks, pencils, ballpen, pad papers, sharpener, ruler, crayons, scissor, calculators (for high school), erasers and tumbler.

Ligutom was so thankful to the donors for their “outpouring of support” to the activity.He said the givers of the school supplies “are reflections of a good heart. They know how to love and give love to the children.”

He hoped that this undertaking is going to be a continuous program. “Parang parte ng corporate social responsibility ng ating mga donors,” he stated.

DOLE-RCC’s major partners in this activity were SM Foundation, NEPC Power Corporation, New Simulator Center of the Philippines Inc. (NEWSIM), BSM Crew Services Center, Phils., LEONIS Navigation Co., Inc., PHILCAMSAT, Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Anglo-Eastern Shipmanagement, Exact Training Center and Marlow Navigation Phils., Inc.

Other partners included World Vision Foundation and ERDA Foundation.

More livelihood assistance will be extended to parents of child laborers in the identified barangays to help transform these areas into child labor-free as well as secure the welfare of the working children in the Province of Iloilo.(PNA)

Lifeline for indigent patients with curable diseases launched in Ilocos Norte
By Leilanie G. Adriano

BATAC CITY, July 2 (PNA) --Patients with curable diseases yet struggling to seek medical treatment may now have a lifeline to turn to, courtesy of the provincial government of Ilocos Norte in partnership with the Office of Ilocos Norte 2nd District Representative Imelda R. Marcos, who is turning 86th today.

In time for the birthday celebration of Mrs. Marcos, her daughter, Governor Imee Marcos announced Wednesday the re-launching of “Save a Life in Every Barangay” project as part of the government efforts to combat poverty and empower Ilokanos in this northern part of Luzon.

Dubbed as, “Silpo ti Biag” in Ilokano which means a “lifeline” bearing this hotline number 0999-9997707 aims to save lives and improve the health of the most vulnerable Ilokano families by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health.

Attended by provincial, municipal and village officials including representatives of various government line agencies, non-government organizations and the private sector, an agreement was signed by all concerned stakeholders at the lobby of the Batac Mansion on Wednesday evening.

“The Silpo ti Biag, a lifeline which was launched during the time of my mother better known as the “Save a Life in Every Barrio” campaign to make certain that public health and medical services would reach every corner of the archipelago and that every Barangay could indeed feel that the government is reaching out to help them with a lifeline,” said Gov. Marcos.

As part of the agreement, all people who have chronic illnesses, prioritizing those who are poor and are severely ill in every Barangay shall be given immediate and proper treatment from a pool of highly-trained professionals.

To date, several recipients were already identified as they also underwent pre-screening by physicians at the Provincial Health Office jointly with the Provincial Welfare and Development Office and the Association of the Barangay Council.

For those who are interested to avail of this service, Ilocos Norte residents may just call or text the lifeline number for further details.(PNA)

Haresco hopes Pres. Aquino III will reveal his presidential candidate in SONA

KALIBO, Aklan, July 2 (PNA) -- Aklan Congressman Teodorico Haresco hopes President Benigno Simeon Aquino III will officially reveal his preference as 2015 presidential candidate in his forthcoming State of the Nations Address (SONA).

Haresco said he believes that PNOY's revelation of his choice as next president is just one of those things that the nation wants to hear.

"We do expect that PNOY would again enumerate his feat as president in his last year or during his entire term. That's already a fact. But aside from the achievements, the people want to know who he will officially be endorsing to follow his track," said Haresco in an interview.

Sources at the Liberal Party indicate that the current favorite as the next president is Mar Roxas, the current secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

"It is but just unfortunate that the surveys on possible presidential winners are being done in large cities. But if there are just surveys in the provinces especially in Panay Island, Mar Roxas would surely emerge as number one," said the source who requested anonymity.

Currently, Roxas is at the third spot in different national surveys.(PNA)

CSC awards seal of excellence to 5 government service offices in Region 6
By Erwin P. Nicavera

BACOLOD CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The Civil Service Commission (CSC) awarded the Citizen’s Satisfaction Center Seal of Excellence to five government service offices in Western Visayas in rites held at Planta Hotel here Wednesday.

Three of the awardees are from Negros Occidental, including the Social Security System (SSS) Bacolod Branch, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) Sagay City, and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Bacolod Branch, which was awarded for the second time.

Others given recognition by the CSC are GSIS Aklan Extension Office and GSIS Roxas Branch.

All winners received a cash prize of P100,000 each.

CSC-Region 6 records showed that of the 79 services offices surveyed, 25 were rated excellent, but only five were chosen as best and given the seal. A total of 42 have a good rating, four passed, four others failed, and subject to another evaluation on the implementation of Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA).

CSC Acting Chairman Robert Martinez, who spoke at the awarding ceremony, said the recognition brings out the competitiveness among service offices in the government in a positive way.

Martinez said that when the CSC started the report card survey (RCS) in May 2011, of more than 70,000 service offices from different government agencies in the country, 230 have already been awarded the citizen’s satisfaction center seal of excellence.

With limited budget, Martinez said they only prioritized and surveyed agencies with most complaints like Land Transportation Office (LTO), SSS, GSIS, and PhilHealth.

“In 2011, almost all GSIS branches in the country failed but now most of them have improved and obtained excellent marks,” he added.

CSC Region 6 Director Rodolfo Encajonado said the agencies recognized for their frontline services were identified by their central and regional offices by conducting inspection on compliance of ARTA provisions.

These offices were validated as excellent in the delivery of frontline services, particularly in terms of citizen’s charter, observance of no-noon break policy, services delivered to special clients like senior citizens, pregnant, and persons with disabilities.

The CSC continues to remind government employees on their duty to provide excellent services to clients as it is mandated by the law, Encajonado added.(PNA)

Bacolod mayor underscores political, collective will in his state of city report

BACOLOD CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- Mayor Monico Puentevella underscored the importance of political and collective will in sustaining the city’s progress during his State of Booming Bacolod Address Wednesday at the People’s House lobby.

Among those the mayor cited is his confrontation with the problem of the three main markets, illegal vending, and the decongestion of traffic.

“Some say it was an impossible task, some say it was political suicide. But we had to fight the bullet, grab the bull by the horns, and face the music head-on,” said Puentevella, although he admitted that there are still “so much work to be done.”

The mayor added: “Political will alone cannot have the impact that it hopes to achieve if not complemented with our collective will,” he added.

Meanwhile, Puentevella said one of the key reasons why Bacolod is booming are the trailblazers “who have planted the seeds of trade and industry” when Bacolod was just starting.

These include the chain of Lopue’s Department Stores and the Filipino-Chinese and Indian community “whose entrepreneurial spirit have shaped our local economy.

“Bacolod is booming, and this is our future,” the mayor added.

Puentevella also mentioned some “firsts” in the city such as the hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit on Disaster Risk Finance last April, the expansion of businesses, and the influx of business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

The mayor also thanked Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. for the creation of the Negros First Cyber Centre.

The multi-billion investments of Ayala Land Inc, and Megaworld Corporation, and DoubleDragon Properties were also noted by the mayor as the reasons why Bacolod is slowly being regarded as one of the country’s leading real estate and business hubs.

Moreover, Puentevella stressed that although the future is within Bacolod’s reach, he still called on the community to work together to achieve more and realize the dream for the city.

He added that part of the agenda is a second Education Summit and Solid Waste Management symposium as well as improving the dissemination of basic services, more roads and wider bridges, healthcare facilities, and public-private partnerships.

New Police chief assumes PRO 13 top post

Butuan City, July 2 (PNA) -- A new police top official assumed this morning as the new officer-in-charge of Police Regional Office 13 (Caraga).

Police Chief Superintendent Vert T. Chavez arrived at Camp Rafael C. Rodriguez, past 8:21 a.m. together with his wife Mrs. Maria Teresa O. Chavez, where he was accorded arrival honors in front of the police regional headquarters administration building here.

The ceremony was attended by top regional police officials consisting of the command group, directorial staff, personal staff and support office, city, provincial directors, RPSB battalion commander, national support units, non-uniformed personnel and some representatives of local government units and the regional police advisory council.

The rites for the assumption of his office followed at the regional headquarters conference room attended by National Police Commissioner Luisito T. Palmera, Atty. Remeneo D. Villanueva, Regional Director of NAPOLCOM 13, Police Regional Advisory Council Chair Judge Emmanuel E. Escatron, Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr. and 401st Brigade PA chief Col. Alexander Macario. Giving the welcome message was PSSupt. Pedro U. Obaldo, Jr.; OIC and the acting DRDA. His designation order was read by RPHRDD chief PSSupt. Romaldo G. Bayting.

The new PRO 13 chief then gave his message for the occasion. Following his office assumption rites, the new regional police chief went down to the administration building lobby and gave his message to the police personnel in formation and the other attendees in front of the regional headquarters administration building.

He then availed himself of a media interview before proceeding back to the conference room for his first command conference with the regional police top officials.

PCSupt. Chavez belongs to PMA Class ’85 and a holder of a Masters in Government Management degree. He had been assigned as Police City Director of Naga City Police Office, PRO 5 in 2010 and an executive officer for the Directorate for Intelligence at the national police headquarters in Camp Crame prior to his assumption of office here in the region.(PNA)

Synthetic rice from China not far from entering Palawan-NFA
By Archie T. Barone

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- The National Food Authority (NFA) here is on strict monitoring mode against the supply of rice that comes into Palawan following reports that fake Chinese rice supplies have entered the country.

NFA-Palawan Manager Edmundo Enrique said that now that fake rice has entered the Philippines, it is not impossible that it would also reach the province.

But he admits, however, that monitoring would be a challenge considering that not all rice supply passes through the NFA.

Enrique said their task can only be eased if the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will also strictly monitor every vessel that carries rice supply to prevent the synthetic ones from getting to Palawan.

He called on the public too, to be vigilant against fake rice, and not to buy them. If they see any being sold, Enrique advised for them to be told immediately for the proper conduct of actions.

On June 30, the NFA conducted undisclosed market inspections following reports that fake rice have entered the country and are being sold in public markets in Davao City. (PNA)

RoRo ramp in Kudat to be operational next year; Palawan prepares for bilateral trade sea linkage
By Celeste Anna R. Formoso

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- An independent online news website in East Malaysia reported Wednesday that Kudat is preparing to become “a hub for bilateral trade between the district and Palawan” because the “Roll On, Roll Off” (RoRo) ferry services will be operational by early next year.

The Daily Express quoted Special Tasks Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang, saying that “the Federal Government has allocated RM8.84 million to construct facilities in preparation for the RoRo ferry services in Kudat.”

Teo said the state government of Kota Kinabalu is grateful for the funding that will fulfill the important ramp project to launch sea linkages between Kudat and Palawan “to boost economic growth for Sabah and Philippines and the Bimp-Eaga region.”

He added that a consultant has been appointed and he was “made to understand that the design of the project is at the final stage and the physical construction work will begin in a month or two.”

The Daily News stated Teo said this in a speech delivered at the launching and signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the formation of Sabah Palawan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SPCCI) Tuesday.

In this ceremony, Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez was present “to witness the signing and formation of the SPCCI by companies from Sabah, the local based Total Total Megalink Sdn Bhd and Oil Right Holding Sdn Bhd, while the province was represented by four companies â€"E-Power Technologies Corporation, Maynilad and Philphos Trading Inc.”

Total Megalink Sdn Bhd was represented by its Chairman Datuk Amir Kahar Tun Mustapha, its Chief Executive Officer Dato' Freddie Sua and Executive Director of Oil Right Holding Sdn Bhd Tay Teck Tuan while the Archipelago Philippines Ferries Corporation was represented by its managing partner Dennise C.Trajano, Chairman of E-Power Technologies Corporation Edwin L. Gardiola, Senior Vice-President of Maynilad Patrick C. Gregario and Philphos Trading Inc, Vice Chairman Bienvenido S. Santos, according to the independent news website.

Teo reportedly said that SPCCI will specifically focus on bilateral trade between two regions in different countries. The new initiative, he added, “requires new players who are willing to explore and take that extra risk of finding a new horizon in terms of doing business.”

Teo, who called the event a “historical day for the relationship between Sabah and Palawan,” said it will accord “mutual economic benefits and boost economic catalysts both areas.”

The online news website furthered that the SPPCI shall aid the business sector in Sabah and Palawan “in the joint economic development and prosperity of both areas.”

Governor Alvarez was also quoted in saying “that President Benigno Aquino III is very supportive of the sea linkages between Sabah via Kudat and Brooke's Point in Southern Palawan that will boost mutual economic benefits.”

“We are looking up on the RoRo ferry services to be completed in Kudat that will create sea connectivity between Palawan and Sabah via Kudat. In fact, we have high-speed catamaran ferries in Palawan which can accommodate 35 cars, between 15 and 20 heavy motor vehicles, and about 300 passengers. Therefore, we plan to have a trial run for the sea linkage between Kudat and Palawan tentatively in August this year,” the online website quoted the Palawan governor.

For air connectivity, Alvarez said he “is acquiring small aircrafts to create such connectivity between Kudat and Palawan. He expects this to be provided with single engine 10-seater aircraft before end of this year.”

Furthermore, Alvarez told the The Daily News that he also “hopes to boost tourist arrivals to Palawan which has attracted 2.6 million tourists a year.”(PNA)

25 farmers learn Korea’s secret to success

ILOILO, July 2 (PNA) -- Twenty five farmers from different barangays in the poor town of Badiangan were taught of principles and strategies used by South Koreans in the early ‘70s to transform their war-torn country into an economic power house now.

The successful rural modernization campaign known as Saemaul Undong (SMU) or New Community Movement was introduced to these organic farmers during the SMU Leadership Training held in Badiangan Central Elementary School on Wednesday (July 1).

Organized by the Philippine Saemaul Undong, the training, which will end on Friday, was held in coordination with the Provincial Agriculture, Planning and Development, Cooperative, and Information and Community Affairs Offices of Iloilo.

Badiangan Mayor Serafin Villa hoped that the introduction of SMU in the town could help prosper growth, especially among the lives of marginal farmers who have been craving for “change” their whole life.

Badiangan is a fourth class municipality in Iloilo which means that its annual income ranges from PHP25 million to PHP35 million and its economy is highly dependent to agriculture.

The introduction of SMU in Badiangan aims to share the success story of South Korea and make the town a community development model in the Philippines.

Saemaul Undong is a successful model of poverty eradication, attitudinal change (mental revolution), and rural modernization. In other words, it is a movement for a wealthier life.

Founded by late President Park Chung-Hee, Saemaul Undong began as a modest rural program in the winter of 1970-71 and it eventually became the driving force of economic growth in Korea.

In the Philippines, the movement started in Iloilo since 1990 and is presently headed by Mario Nillos, also the province’s planning and development officer and Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. acts as adviser.

So far, PSMU has community development projects in Bingawan, San Dionisio, and Leon. (PNA)

Palawan solon warns 4Ps beneficiaries against ill use of ATMs
By Jocelyn Y. Tabuada

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- A member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Palawan warned beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) against exploiting the use of their automated teller machine (ATM) cards otherwise they might be dropped from the list.

Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Member Eduardo Modesto Rodriguez, chairman of the Committee on Social Services, warned the beneficiaries of the 4Ps following reports that there are families, who pawn their ATMs to loan sharks, and who use their benefits for gambling.

“We have received reports that some parents are using the money granted to them for gambling while others pawn them to loan sharks instead of paying for their children’s school fees, ” said Rodriguez, who filed a resolution asking to drop anyone, who would be found committing the violations.

He also said that there are reports that some grantees of the program are not qualified because they have enough income to provide for the basic needs of their families.

Rodriguez added that “the government money should be used to help the families.” Instead, however, they are being used for depravities, like gambling.

The local office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is investigating the reports of ATM card misuse now, he said.

Rodriguez added that the target of the 4Ps program is to double the number of beneficiaries in Palawan province especially those residing in the different islands.

“This is hampered by the lack of personnel of the DSWD,” he pointed out. (PNA)

TF Asis to demolish houses of professional squatters

ILOILO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -â€" The Task Force on Anti-Squatting and Illegal Settlers (TF Asis) is set to demolish the eight houses of professional squatters along the waterways going to Budburan Creek in Brgy. Alalasan, Lapuz district after the families were discovered to transfer from a nearby private lot to the declared danger zone.

TF chief Engr. Robert Dumanil said the danger zone area was vacated last year by 18 informal settler families and relocated to the River Plains Subdivision in Brgy. Lanit, Jaro district. However, a new set of informal settlers put up their houses in the vacated area as allowed by brgy. captain Maricon Sompio.

Dumanil said they will be forced to implement the provisions of Republic Act 7279 and a memorandum circular 98-202 of the late Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jess Robredo regarding the proliferation of professional squatters and the involvement of local officials especially the punong barangays in allowing squatters to live in the recognized danger zones.

The area is known to be under water for several weeks spawned by heavy rains and dangerous for children to play.

Dumanil said the city government declared the area not fit for residential and relocated the early families to safer grounds and relocation sites. (PNA)

Trawl, ring net fishers fined for violations

ILOILO, July 2 (PNA) -- Twenty-two fishermen from Concepcion and Estancia were fined PHP52,000 for violating the town’s ordinance in June.

These fishermen were caught engaging in shrimp trawl and ring net fishing without permit recently, according to a report from Iloilo Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force.

They were onboard the motorboats Jickhomae 2 and 3, Karen, Art Jester, Nicol, Angel Gospel, Angelo, Jet-Jet, Junross 4 and 2, Jiuaih and fishing vessel Meber.

The owners offered and paid a compromise fine of PHP2,500 each for shrimp trawl and PHP25,000 for ring net fishing.

The task force reported that there was another group of trawl fishers who were spotted near Bagongon Island in Concepcion but they failed to arrest them.

These fishermen abandoned their fishing net beneath the sea as they fled towards Negros Occidental.

The fishing nets have been recovered and were kept by the task force pending the determination of the identities of these fishermen. (PNA)

ARMM, Maguindanao aid workers extend help to flood victims

COTABATO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- Relief aid workers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are on their way to Sultan sa Barongis and other municipalities inundated by flood water due to low pressure area affecting Mindanao.

Lawyer Kirby Abdullah, focal person of ARMM Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (HEART), told DXMS Radyo Bida thAt aid workers are to extend relief assistance to more than 2,000 families or about 14,500 individuals in 12 villages who were displaced by floods since last week.

Sultan sa Barongis, a town in the borders of Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao provinces, have been placed under state of calamity after the Ala River and Kapingkong River overflowed.

Aside from Sultan sa Barongis, also affected were the towns of Datu Paglas, Paglat, Buluan, Mangudadatu, Pandag, Gen. SK Pendatun and Rajah Buayan, the office of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu showed.

Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous REgion in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Wednesday directed Abdullah, his assistant secretary for Maguindanao, to spearhead lead relief operations to Sultan sa Barongis where 14,565 villagers were displaced by floods.

The ARMM relief operation will complement the relief assistance extended by the office of Mangudadatu on Wednesday.

According to Lynette Estandarte, provincial budget chief, said the provincial government has dispersed three tons of food and non-food relief supplies to the affected Sultan sa Barongis residents.

Provincial relief workers also distributed pails, kitchen wares and sleeping mats to evacuees.

Estandarte said classes in flooded communities have been suspended since Monday.

With the rainy season, Estandarte said the provincial government employees are continuously packing food rations, comprised of canned goods, instant noodles and rice for distribution to flood victims in the 11 other flooded towns.

On Wednesday, the provincial relief team also distributed assistance to flood victims in Datu Paglas town where residents were forced to flee by rampaging flood waters from South Cotabato mountains.

Abdullah reported that at least 270 hectares of rice farms and 580 corn fields in the province have been flooded. (PNA)

City engineer under fire for not issuing certification
By Lydia C. Pendon

ILOILO CITY, July 2 (PNA) -â€" For not issuing a certification of a building and fencing permit needed for the construction of the Iloilo Guimaras ferry terminal located at the Parola, Iloilo City, the city engineer here is facing an administrative complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas for violation of Section 5 (a) of Republic Act 6713.

City engineer Roberto Divinagracia was charged by lawyer Vincent Pascal de Asis, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Guimaras chapter, for violating the law specifically the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees as well as for committing a Conduct Grossly Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service under Section 22 (t) of Rule XIV of the Omnibus Rules Implementing Book V of EO 292.

The administrative complaint was submitted to the Ombudsman last Monday, June 29, 2015.

The complainant said the act of refusal of Divinagracia and his failure to respond to the letter request dated May 27, 2015, despite his receipt and subsequent reminders, was clearly a misconduct and an act unbecoming of a public officer.

De Asis said the certifications demanded from Divinagracia were vital for the protection of the people of Guimaras and those who will be affected by the implementation of the Iloilo-Guimaras ferry terminal.

On the other hand, the city engineer’s office through the Building Official Engr. Roberto Divinagracia issued a Notice of Illegal Construction dated March 25, 2015 for having No Building Permit to INJAP/City Mall in Parola city proper and to stop immediately all illegal building activities in the premises.

Jose Roni Penalosa, city zoning administrator, said a Notice Violation was issued by his office dated March 26, 2015 for starting construction works without first securing the necessary Locational Clearance from his office. (PNA)

Most people in Zimbabwe are trillionaires

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Nigeria on alert after Ebola resurfaces in Liberia

LAGOS, July 3 (PNA/Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Thursday alerted the people living in the country to be vigilant and embrace basic hygiene as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) reemerges in Liberia.

Ayotunde Adesugba, a spokesperson in the Federal Ministry of Health said in a statement reaching Xinhua in Lagos, that the ministry was reactivating its response mechanism and increasing the level of its alert.

Adesugba said the resurgence of EVD in Liberia confirms that the Ebola virus is still circulating in that country and transmission from person to person is possible.

He urged state governments to raise their alert level and report any suspected case to the Federal Ministry of Health.

According to the official, a 17-year-old boy from a village near the Liberian capital died of Ebola, noting that the boy had no history of traveling out of Liberia and no history of coming into contact with any known Ebola case.

"The boy has since been buried but Liberian health officials are worried that he may have transmitted the virus to many other people who came into contact with him," Adesugba added.

This means that the country, which was certified EVD free by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 9, 2015 has witnessed a resurgence of the disease.

Meanwhile, the government of Lagos, Nigeria's most populous state, has advised the public to maintain adequate personal and environmental hygiene to prevent relapse of Ebola.

Modele Osunkiyesi, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Health, said the warning became imperative in view of reported cases of the resurgence of EVD in some neighboring West African countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone.

She said the state government, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, were maintaining relevant surveillance through the Port Health Services and community surveillance activities in all local government areas.

She said the state government had started outlining strategies to prevent the re-entry of the disease after being certified free of Ebola on Oct. 20, 2014, by the World Health Organization.

According to her, prevention of Ebola is a shared responsibility by all citizens.

Osunkiyesi said that EVD could be spread through close contact with the blood, body fluids, organs and tissues of infected animals.

She said that EVD could also spread through direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons as well as handling sick or dead infected animals like monkeys and bats.

Early symptoms of EVD include fever, headache, chills, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache and arthritis, while later symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and rectum.

Also, swelling of the eyes, genitals and rashes all over the body that often contains blood. (PNA/Xinhua)
JBP/EBP

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Tacloban depicts resilience, recovery through Sangyaw Parade of Lights

TACLOBAN CITY, July 1 (PNA) -- Once again, people in this city have shown their resilience through the Sangyaw Parade of Lights, sending messages of recovery and gratitude.

City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez thanked the parade participants for bringing cheers to locals and tourists when it returned to streets for the first after super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

“We want to tell the world that we are resilient. The celebration welcomed a collective commitment to stronger and happier Tacloban, with increased capacity to work together and adapt to coming changes,” Romualdez said.

Joining the two-hour Sangyaw Parade of Lights on Monday night were 10 schools, 10 villages, six merrymakers, 20 floats, and local drum and bugle corps.

Dancers wearing colorful costumes combined with their artistic props with glowing lights were accented by innovative music and rhythm.

After the Parade of Lights, participants showcased their interpretation of Sangyaw through a ritual presentation at the City Hall grounds that ended midnight.

The crowd went wild as the Alpha Phi Omega, Leyte Normal University (LNU) and Youngfield village contingents were respectively declared champions in different categories in the Sangyaw Parade of Lights Festival 2015 competition.

The floats used were eco-friendly materials, beautified in small trucks with colorful lights held at the city’s main streets. The dancers were dressed in attractive and star-like costumes and props, showing festival-inspired routines.

In the merrymaker category, the Alpha-Phi Omega grabbed the title as grand champion, and received PHP15,000 and PHP4,000 for the choreographer, followed by Tacloban Institute of Electronics in the second place and Taezumba Jammers of Tacloban City in the third place.

Meanwhile, first-timer LNU snatched the title in the school category, with PHP50,000 and PHP5,000 for the choreographer, while Santo Niño Sped Center placed second and Asian Development Foundation College of Tacloban landed third.

LNU choreographers Romyr Gabon and Hanzel Saboren were thankful for the judges, for their effort and performance was appreciated in the event.

“This is our first time to join the Parade of Lights, we didn’t expect to win the title because we didn’t have any idea at first on how to showcase our float and talents, but we still did our best,” Gabon said.

In the village category, 49 Youngfield won the title, which received PHP50,000, trophy and PHP5,000 for the choreographer, with Magallanes-Burgos dancers in the second place and Apitong village in the third place.

Aside from the festival winners, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez also allocated prizes to ACLC College, City Central School, Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU), Leyte Colleges (LC), Leyte National High School (LNHS) and San Fernando Central School, for participating in the said event.

Other participating contingents were from Santo Niño Street, Reclamation Area, Calvary Hill, Rizal Avenue Extension, Paseo de Legazpi, San Jose district and New Kawayan village also received prizes.

The participants for the merrymakers who received prizes were Taebo Jammers Association of Tacloban, Alpha Omega Rho and UNIC Training Center Corporation.

Meanwhile, the city government of Tacloban emphasized that the city has been celebrating the Sangyaw Festival before super typhoon Yolanda, but after the disaster, they started celebrating the Parade of Lights with a deeper meaning.

Rep. Romualdez thanked everyone, especially the organizers and participants who supported the activity.

The event, which was one of city’s highlights in their fiesta celebration with the theme of resiliency and recovery, delighted more than 4,000 residents and visitors who joined in the celebration of the city and Leyte province’s feast of the patron saint, Senior Santo Niño.

Sangyaw, which means "to announce or herald a news" in a local dialect, has assumed a popular following in the region and in the country since its inception in the 1976 and revival in 2008. (PNA)

Libel case against Cebu journalist raffled to another judge

CEBU CITY, July 1 (PNA) -- The libel case former Cebu City mayor and congressman Tomas Osmeña filed against broadcaster and columnist Pablito “Bobby” Nalzaro has been raffled to another judge.

The case was raffled off to the sala of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 23 Judge Generosa Labra.

The case was ordered re-raffled after RTC Branch 5 Judge Ricky Jones Macabaya inhibited himself from hearing the libel case to avoid suspicion of bias.

Macabaya was the public prosecutor in the libel case Osmeña filed against businessman Jonathan Guardo at the height of the 2010 elections.

Guardo ran but lost the House seat to Osmeña in 2010.

Osmeña charged Guardo with libel after the latter accused him of trying to stop his distribution of food to fire victims in Barangay Calamba.

Osmeña said Guardo’s statements were false and without basis.

Osmeña and Guardo later reached a compromise agreement and the former mayor dropped the libel case against the businessman, who also apologized.

In Nalzaro's case, Osmeña alleged that Nalzaro besmirched his reputation when the broadcaster accused him of fabricating charges when he filed multiple administrative complaints against Cebu City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas before the Civil Service Commission.

Nalzaro, a Sun.Star Cebu and Sun.Star SuperBalita columnist and host of radio DYSS program “Saksi” and GMA 7 Cebu news program “24 Oras” denied he maligned Osmeña. He argued that his column was written solely in response to his “journalistic duty.”

Nalzaro pointed out that he used the phrase “fabricated charges” in his column after he read the Commission on Audit report, which he said would show that Cuevas could not be criminally or administratively held liable for the city's fiscal management. (PNA)

DPWH-12 generates P705-M savings through competitive project bidding

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, July 1 (PNA) -- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has generated around P705 million in savings in the implementation of various infrastructure this year in parts of the region.

Reynaldo Tamayo, DPWH Region 12 director, said such savings were the result of their strict adherence to the transparency principle in all processes involved in terms of project implementation.

He specifically cited the conduct of competitive bidding as set in Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.

“We we’re able to reduce the actual cost of the projects from their approved budgets because of competitive and transparent bidding,” Tamayo said in a press conference.

Through competitive bidding, he said they were able to eliminate “fixings” in the awarding of the projects to contractors.

Aside from the transparent bidding process, Tamayo said they also generated some savings through the proper designing and planning of the projects.

The DPWH central office had approved around P9.2 billion worth of projects, mostly road expansion and upgrading, for the region this year.

As of Tuesday, the official said they already accomplished 32.7 percent of the 514 projects that were lined up for implementation in the area this year.

Tamayo said they returned last Monday, June 29, their savings this year to the Department of Budget and Management.

But he said they are currently preparing some projects proposals for the possible realignment of the returned funds.

Last year, he said they were able to implement a number of additional projects out of the P200-million savings that they generated.

In 2013, the agency accumulated some P33.46 million in savings from the implementation of various tourism road projects in the region.

The DPWH-12 had allocated some P340.89 million for the implementation of five tourism road projects under its 2013 infrastructure program.

“Promoting the right project at the right cost, with the right quality and right-on-time implementation is always the policy (of DPWH-12),” Tamayo said.

Along with the adoption of such policy, he said they enforced reforms in the bidding process and implementation of the projects in line with the principle of good governance and the anti-corruption efforts of the national government.

These reforms are also in consonance with the “tuwid na daan” advocacy of President Benigno S. Aquino III, he added.(PNA)

DTI-Bicol holds consumers advocacy
By Connie B. Destura

LEGAZPI CITY, July 1 (PNA) â€" The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bicol regional office recently held a one-day advocacy forum for consumers towards a green community.

Jocelyn L. B. Blanco, DTI Bicol regional director, said consumers should adopt environment-friendly strategies and general behavioral changes to improve efficiency in the use of power, water, resources, reduce waste, and in turn, minimize adverse impacts on the environment and lead towards a green community.

In its recent forum held in Naga City, 130 participants from all over the region attended and learned from topics like “Awareness on Climate Change”, “Energy Efficiency and Conservation Tips”, “Waste Disposal & Management”, and “Greening Strategies and Practices”.

Blanco said the forum drew much interest from the participants since practical tips were taught, which they can use in their households and more so, share these tips to the rest of consumers when they do their advocacy efforts in their respective areas.

"DTI continues to capacitate consumer leaders because their support largely contributes to the progress of the economy," she said.

The DTI regional head challenged the Bicolano consumers to act as one and help the department and other government agencies to increase the relevance of consumers in the region.

Each of us should realize the important roles we play in ensuring that we live in a healthy and green environment," she said. (PNA)

Laguna police launches Women’s Brigade, kicks-off 20th PCR Month
By Robert Maico

Santa Cruz, Laguna July 1 (PNA) -- The Laguna Police Provincial Office (PPO) launches Women’s Brigade during the kick-off ceremony of the 20th Police Community Relations (PCR) month on June 30 at the Laguna Capitol Compound in this municipality.

This Women’s Brigade project originated from LIiliw Municipal Police Station with the goal to encourage women to stand and prove themselves capable of promoting peace and order in their locality. And at the same time giving honor and recognition for their contribution.

Police Senior Superintendent Florendo Saligao, Acting Provincial Director said in his message, “Laguna Philippine National Police (PNP) are here to strengthen Police Community Partnership together with ‘Juana of Laguna and re-echo the 20th PCR month under the theme: “Matibay Na Ugnayan Ng Mamamayan At Pulisya, Simbolo Ng Kapayapaan At Kaunlaran Ng Sambayanan (Solid Partnership of the Police and the Community, A symbol of Peace and Progress of the People).”

Joining the ceremony were Calamba City Councilor Ruth M Hernandez, 3rd District Board Member, Angelica Jones Alarva, Police Superintendent Meliton A Salvadora Jr, Chief, Police Community Relations Branch (PCRB), Police Senior Inspector Arlene Abastillas, Chief of Police, Liliw MPS, PCR personnel of the province and more than 2,000 Women’s Brigade members.

Earlier, Representative Samuel Duldulao Pagdilao, Jr, Anti-Crime and Terrorism-Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party List graced the Kick Off Ceremony of the Month Long Celebration of the 20th Police Community Relations (PCR) Month as Guest of Honor and Speaker during the traditional Monday Flag Raising Ceremony held at Camp Vicente Lim, Calamba City on June 29

This year's theme: “Matibay na Ugnayan ng Mamamayan at Pulisya, Simbolo ng Kapayapaan at Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan,” was highlighted with the awarding of selected PNP Units and Individuals for their significant contribution in building a trusting relationship with the community and promoting its good image.

Pagdilao in his message commends the men and women in the police service for their exemplary performance leading to the vigorous partnership between the PNP and the community. Also, he acknowledged the relentless support of some of the Local Government Units to PNP CALABARZON.

“We have to build a symbiotic relationship with the people. We must encourage their active participation in all our endeavors. Let us bring PNP closer to the people so that they will continue to give their trust to us.” said Pagdilao. (PNA)

Oso: Catholic church remain steadfast against same sex marriage

ILOILO CITY, July 1 (PNA) -- Jaro Archdiocese Social Action Center Dir. Meliton Oso said that the Catholic church doesn’t change its stand against same sex marriage despite the recent move of the United States Supreme Court ruling giving same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states.

Monsignor Oso further expressed personal fear with Filipinos being known as great imitators especially of those from America including this ruling.

”In my opinion this is the beginning of the extinction of human race,” Monsignor Oso said. He explained that one of the main purposes of the creation of man and woman is for procreation which same sex marriage could not realize.

He added that humans are not only political beings but also religious beings and by being so they are guided by the Biblical teachings. Dignity has also to be preserved “because we were created in likeness of God.”

He said that the rights of individuals is not absolute for it has limitations.”While we respect choices of people but it could not be for society to have the same sex as its foundation,” Monsignor Oso said.(PNA)