DENR Caraga joins World Environment Day, underscores
SIDS
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, June 5 (PIA) – The Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Caraga headed by regional director
(RED) Nonito Tamayo has spearheaded in this region the yearly event of World
Environment Day (WED) with emphasis on the 2014 year of Small Islands
Developing States (SIDS).
“As we rally around for environmental activities
and take actions to raise global and local awareness on the importance of the
trees to us, the environment, and its surrounding habitat, let’s also bring to
mind the SIDS for which member low-lying coastal countries tend to share
similar sustainable development challenges, including limited resources and
fragile environments, among others,” mentioned Tamayo in his message during the
kick-off of WED at Caloc-an, Magallanes, Agusan del Norte where different
national line agencies and stakeholders gathered for a coastal clean-up and
tree planting activity early morning Thursday.
Tamayo reiterated that many SIDS now recognize
the need to move towards low-carbon, climate resilient economies, as set out in
the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) implementation plan for climate
change-resilient development.
The SIDS were first recognized as a distinct
group of developing countries at the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development in June 1992.
“Learn the ways in which you can live in harmony
with the environment and by practicing these you can help lessen the negative
impact on the planet,” added Tamayo.
He encouraged everyone to reduce, reuse and
recycle to combat global warming.
“Avoid burning fossil fuels, coal and other
gases that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere because the more
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, more heat is trapped which make the earth
warmer,” addressed Tamayo.
He said that as the climate shifts, make it an
opportunity to realize not only the responsibility to care for the earth but
also to become agents of change.
“Let’s consider everyday an Arbor Day. Let’s
plant more trees for the preservation of our natural resources and ecosystem
and find solutions that will ensure a brighter future for generations to come,”
bared Tamayo. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)
AgSur prepares for 22nd Naliyagan Festival,
116th Independence Day Celebration
By David M. Suyao
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, June 5 (PIA) -
Ground preparation for the week-long and grand opening of the 22nd Naliyagan
Festival is now 75 percent, where the 116th Philippine Independence Day
celebration will take place that will add color and meaning to the dual
celebration.
While the two soft opening activities of the
Naliyagan Festival will take place days before the grand opening called “Hugyaw
to Agusan” on June 7, and the “Bubuta Tu Manok Tu Naliyagan (a 4 cock
derby)" on June 10, the grand opening on June 12, 2014 will be started at
4:30 a.m. by an Ecumenical Dawn Prayer right at the covered Naliyagan Cultural
Center (NCC) ground to be followed by the simultaneous holy mass at 6:00 a.m.
in all parish churches provincewide.
While the simultaneous masses are conducted, native
ritual called “Panawagtawag” will also take place right at the main stage of
the NCC, giving the lumads (indigenous peoples) the honor to perform their
culture’s practice in calling the good spirits to bless the festival because
this is the season that will showcase the Agusanon’s rich and colorful culture.
Right after the concelebrated mass at 8:00 a.m.,
the giant national flag, the provincial flag, the naliyagan flag and the 314
barangay flags will be raised bearing the symbol of independence and after the
flag raising ceremonies, the wreath laying at the Rizal monument also located
at the NCC ground by Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza, Cong. Maria Valentina Plaza
(First District) and Cong. Evelyn Mellana Plaza (Second District) with the
401st Infantry Brigade headed by Col. Gregory Cayetano assisting.
After the wreath laying ceremony, the grand
opening of the 22nd Naliyagan Festival will be declared together with the
ceremonial opening of the Naliyagan Trade, services and entertainment center.
This will highlight the Naliyagan Agri-Industrial Fair, the Naliyagan Food and
Entertainment booths, the Naliyagan Bazar, the Naliyagan Trade Show and
Exhibits, provincial government’s local governance Best Practices showcase and
Constituency offices Districts 1 and 2.
The Serbisyo sa Naliyagan Para sa Katawhan will
also start ranging from jobs fair, Kasambahay registration, National Economic
Research and Business Assistance Center (NERBAC) services and the blood-letting
by the Philippine Red Cross. All these services can be availed right at the NCC
grounds.
In the evening of day one, the Naliyagan tribal
songs and dances will be showcased with the theme: “Kulturang Agusanon: Padayon
sa Modernong Panahon. This is open for all to see. Live bands at the NCC main
stage and the Rizal stage will be non-stop performing, with comedy variety
intermission. As finale for the first day, the Naliyagan fireworks display
competition will color the skies in the evening.
Gov. Plaza with the officials and the provincial
government invite the public to witness and see the Naliyagan Festival in order
to enjoy and witness the rich and colorful culture of the Agusanons.
(DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
18th Kaliguan Festival to kick-off on June 24 in
SurSur town
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
SURIGAO DEL SUR, June 5 (PIA) – "The 18th
Kaliguan Festival will kick-off on June 24-28, 2014, which will be held in
Cagwait," said Mayor Lilian Lozada during a press conference conducted on
Wednesday.
This year's celebration is anchored on the
theme, "One Vision, United Action Towards Sustainable Tourism
Development."
Event coordinator Mike Santos is hopeful that
the five-day celebration will be sustained and soon to be commercially
competitive like other well-known festivals in the country.
"The sustainability of the event will
definitely bring the name of Cagwait as well as the province of Surigao del Sur
into the map of the tourists’ favorite destinations," said Santos during
his event concept presentation.
To make the celebration unique, a Kaliguan
Facebook Photoshoot Contest 2014 will be conducted. "The said competition
is open to all professional and amateur photographers," said Santos.
During the kick-off ceremony on June 24, Mayor
Lozada said the Kaliguan Agri-Industrial Fair, Kaliguan Food and Entertainment
Booth, Kaliguan Bazaar, Kaliguan Trade Show and Exhibit, Kaliguan-LGU Best
Practices Showcase and Serbisyo sa Kaliguan para sa Katawhan will also be
launched.
Accordingly, the Fluvial Parade and the Perlas
ng Kaliguan Pageant will also highlight the celebration. Celebrities from the
GMA Kapuso Network will add colors to the celebration as they showcase their
talents during the “Barangayan sa Kaliguan” night.
It can be recalled that the Kaliguan Festival
was first celebrated on June 24, 1996 in honor of St John the Baptist initiated
by Mayor Lillian Yu-Lozada, the then chairperson of the Municipal Tourism
Council in partnership with the provincial government and Department of
Tourism. (NGBT/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
DOST develops ‘predictive damage, business
continuity’ for more pro-active disaster preparedness in PHL
MANILA, June 5 (PIA) - The Department of Science
and Technology will share lessons on innovations in disaster risk reduction and
management, including its new agenda for including “predictive damage” and
“business continuity” as part of the country’s pro-active disaster preparedness
agenda.
DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo first announced
the two concepts during the opening plenary session of the Asia Europe Meeting
(ASEM) Manila Conference (2014) hosted by the Philippines at the Diamond Hotel
on 5th June 2014, Thursday.
The recent onslaught of typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)
called for new ways on the practice of disaster risk reduction and management
and its inclusion as priority in the country’s development agenda.
“Recent severe weather events clearly showed
that mega disasters are the new challenge we have to face. And we cannot be
caught flat-footed or ill-prepared because doing so costs us more,” noted DOST
Sec. Montejo.
Before Haiyan, mega disasters in Asia included
the 2011 tsunami in Japan and the 2004 tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia.
“Advanced information on impending disasters
derived through the application of science and cutting-edge technologies
enables vigilant local governments and the public to take early action and in
turn, save lives,” he added.
In the Philippines, the use of science-based
weather information was made possible by DOST’s modernization project, which
included flagship programs such as the Nationwide Operational Assessment of
Hazards (Project NOAH), which offers an online platform to monitor typhoons and
floods based on real-time data feeds from 1,000 rain and water level sensors
nationwide and the internationally renowned national 3D mapping project called
Disaster Risk Assessment, Exposure and Mitigation-Light Ranging and Detection
Technology (DREAM-LiDAR). The latterwon the prestigious Geospatial World
Excellence in Policy Implementation Award for 2014 awarded by the Geospatial
World Forum last May in Geneva.
Both projects were launched under the direction
of the Aquino administration to promote a more proactive stance on disaster
management with the delivery of science-based information to local communities
and national disaster managers and the vigilance of leaders and first
responders to act accordingly based on the information showed that it can be
possible to achieve zero casualties and reduce risks and damages due to
flooding, and disasters related to severe weather events.
He cited local champions in the country that
benefited from the use of Project NOAH and 3D map models of the DREAM Project
such as Marikina City, which enforced evacuation hours ahead of the 2012 and
2013 Habagat (Southwest Monsoon) Flood events, which registered Ondoy-like
flood levels. In 2009, the same city in the metro was submerged in floods after
Ketsana (Ondoy) dumped a month’s worth of rain—about 300mm—in a span of only
six hours.
Predictive Damage and Business Continuity
Since the commencement of the Aquino
administration’s term in 2009, the DOST has undergone major improvements to
provide quality, accurate, location-specific, and timely information based on
science so local leaders and communities may know how to best deal with an
impending disaster. To date, DOST has nearly completed the mapping of
two-thirds of the 18 major river systems of the country, which included
Marikina River and Cagayan River, both of which overflowed and flooded nearby
communities during the typhoon season.
The DOST plays a crucial role in terms of
providing information related to weather and geological hazards in the
Philippines, mainly through its agencies Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and the Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), respectively.
Pushing further the envelope for better disaster
preparedness, DOST is introducing the concept of “predictive damage” and
“business continuity.”
Predictive damage,noted Sec. Montejo, “is the capability
of being able to simulate and model severe weather events and the amount or
extent of damage that they would cause to the areas affected.”
Probability-based behavioural damage models for
various types of infrastructure and natural assets of concern can be developed
by evaluating and analyzing historical data on damage caused by previous severe
weather events. These models then used
in conjunction with our improving weather forecast methodologies would allow us
to predict probable damage, thus allowing pro-active disaster preparedness and
response.
“This approach is not only applicable for
response or near-term planning but may also be used for a medium- and long-
term disaster risk reduction program,” he added.
On the other hand, “business continuity is the
capability to restore, within a prescribed period, vital services both public
and private after a severe weather event.
These vital services include power, communications, transport, food and
drinking water, heath, security, banking and commerce, among others.”
Vital services can be restored after 12, 24 or
48 hours or more depending on the priority of a service. We proposed that a committed “business
continuity” timetable for vital services be made the goal for all disaster
preparedness and response programs.
The predictive damage will serve as the starting
point for analyzing the strength and vulnerabilities of critical assets and
infrastructure against severe weather scenarios modeled using the maps
generated by DOST’s projects. This will allow planners to better understand
areas for improvement, retrofitting, and can even go as far as provisioning of
backup services for disaster preparedness and response.
Other plenary speakers will be Philippine
cabinet officials and leaders of international organizations on DRRM, including
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin, Senator Loren Legarda, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation,
Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Kristalina Georgieva, and United Nations Office for
Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Head Margareta Wahlstrom.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is the lead
coordinator for the conference in partnership with the Office of Civil Defense
(OCD).
The Philippines jointly organized the ASEM
Manila Conference 2014 with Japan, Switzerland, and the European Union,
together with sponsorship of Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Norway,
Spain, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom. (DOST STII/PIA-Caraga)
AFP shares same view with PNP on bulk of
explosive chemicals, devices seized in SurSur
By Greg Tataro, Jr.
TANDAG CITY, June 5 (PIA) – The Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) has expressed the same view with the Philippine National
Police (PNP) in Surigao del Sur about the bulk of explosive chemicals and other
devices seized in Barangay Liatimco, Lianga town over a week ago.
Lt. Col. Ignatius Patrimonio, Commander of the
2nd Scout Ranger Battalion (2SRB), whose headquarter in Barangay St. Christine
lies in the same town with the barangay where the rare “finds” were seized,
also gave more weight on the probability that such voluminous supplies of
explosive chemicals and other materials are being used in the manufacture of
“landmines and other improvised explosive devices (IED).”
Patrimonio contentiously said that there is no
illegal mining activity nearby in their location, adding also that as far as
illegal fishing is concerned, such is a remote possibility due to the absence
of “wick” as reported.
Right now, he said, that they have already
started to coordinate with their counterparts in the PNP about the incident.
It will be recalled that on May 25, at about
3:30 p.m., a police operation was jointly conducted by Lianga Municipal Police
Station (MPS) led by Deputy Chief of Police (DCOP) Insp. Roy Licayan; Surigao del Sur Criminal Investigation and
Detection Team (SDSCIDT) headed by PCI Arvin Montenegro; Police Regional Office 13 (PRO 13) led by PCI
Greggie Pimentel; and, SDS Police
Provincial Office (SDSPPO) also led by PSI Manolo Andrew Caoile in Purok 2 and 3 at Barangay Liatimco, Lianga
town by virtue of Search Warrant No. L-SW-04-14 issued by Executive Judge
Alfredo Jalad of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 28 against respondents Bebot
Espuerta, Daday Abunado, ang Roberto “Talok” Consigna for alleged violation of
Presidential Decree 1866 or illegal possession of firearms and explosives as
amended by Republic Act (R.A.) 8294 and further amended by R.A. 10591 and R.A.
9516.
However, Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Provincial
Director P/SSupt. NarciscoVerdadero lamented that among the three subjects of
the search warrant, only Espuerta, who was later identified as Arturo Andohuyan
Espuerta, was nabbed while Abunado and Consigna eluded arrest.
But in their respective residences, S/Supt.
Verdadero pointed out that the search and seizure yielded lots of blasting
caps, wires, detonating cords, match sticks, and a total of 129.7 kilograms of
ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO).
A Smith & Wesson .357 Revolver with a
defaced serial number loaded with five live ammunition was also found at the
Abunado residence, he added.
With such a big haul, Verdadero admitted eyeing
highly suspicious activities considering the history of the place being an
NPA-influenced area which Patrimonio agreed, saying that the reported “IEDs
might be used against state forces.” (NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
PAGASA modernization bill gets Congress’ nod
QUEZON CITY, June 5 (PIA) - Agusan del Norte
First District Representative Lawrence “Law” Fortun recently revealed that
House Bill No. 4397 entitled the An Act Providing for the Modernization of the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) otherwise known as the “PAGASA Modernization Act of 2014” was
unanimously approved on third reading by members of the House of
Representatives.
Fortun, who is a principal co-author of the
bill, said that seeing the importance and benefit of the bill, the members of
the House took no delay in passing the bill on third reading. The said
legislation affirms PAGASA’s critical role as the government’s primary agency
tasked to monitor and report weather conditions to the public. PAGASA also
takes a very crucial role in conveying precise weather information that forms
part and parcel of disaster preparedness and risk management for the
government.
“Damage can be prevented and lives can be saved
if we are scientifically informed and appropriately prepared," the
explanatory note of the bill aptly stated. Because of this critical role, it is
pertinent “to elevate its technological and operational capacity to effectively
and efficiently perform its mandate.”
Among the objectives of the bill are a) To
upgrade physical resources and operational techniques through the acquisition
of state-of-the-art instruments, equipment, and facilities to enhance current
capabilities in providing timely and reliable forecasting, warning services for
the general public and information for agriculture, transportation and other
industries across the country, b) To raise the salary and compensation of the
officers and employees of PAGASA to make their pay competitive in the global
market, c) To raise the research and development capability and human resource
development, adopting a rationalized and integrated approach with focus on
improvement of operations for specialized services and cost recovery, d) To
develop mechanisms for integrating disaster management and socioeconomic
development planning at the national and local levels, e) To establish regional
weather service centres in strategic areas in the country to broaden the
agencies base for delivery of service to the countryside, f) To cultivate
greater awareness by the public of weather systems, the progress of typhoons,
climatic changes and other related information through the educational projects
and programs, and g) To develop a technology-based and financially
self-sufficient data center which will serve as the central information station
for real-time weather updates available to every individual and for the
Philippines’ typhoon preparedness plan.
The house bill finds impetus with the
experiences of the country being located in a typhoon belt and
‘ocean-encircling belt of active volcanoes and earthquake generators.’ Just
late last year, regions of central Philippines have experienced the havoc of
one of the world’s strongest typhoon. “We have seen the most damaging
calamities that hit our country with super typhoon Yolanda and the strong
earthquake which devastated the Visayas region and left thousands dead and
millions of pesos in damages. With these occurrences, I really see the need to
modernize PAGASA for them to give timely and accurate forecasting so as to make
us more prepared when calamities hit,” Fortun said in co-sponsoring the bill.
(LAWig Katawhan/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
Tagalog News: Pondo para sa mga
pang-imprastrakturang proyekto hindi manggagaling mula sa isiningit na pondo
mula sa kongreso, sabi ng Palasyo
Ni David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Hunyo 5 (PIA) - Walang kahit
isang sentimo ay manggagaling mula sa mga isiningit na pondo ng kongreso o pork
barrel kapag ang pamahalaan ay ay nagpatupad ng mga aprobadong malalaking
proyekto ng imprastraktura, sabi ng Palasyo noong Martes.
Ang kasalukuyang pamahalaan ay hindi naglagay ng
pondo para sa mga proyekto sa pamamagitan ng isiningit mula sa kongreso, sabi
ni Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma,
Jr., at dagdag pa niya na kahit sa katapusang taon ng administrasyon ni dating
Pangulo Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ay pinagbawal na ang paglagay ng pondo mula sa
mga isiningit.
"Doon naman sa Aquino administration,
totally abolished ‘yung concept of insertion dahil nagkasundo ang ehekutibo at
lehislatura na kung ano lamang ang budget na iniharap ng executive as the
National Expenditure Program, ‘yun lamang ang pwedeng repasuhin o pag-aralan ng
Kamara at ng Senado," sabi niya noong siya ay nakipanayam sa media.
Tinigilan din ng pamahalaan ang paglagay ng
pondo sa mga proyekto sa pamamagitan ng mga Priority Development Assistance
Fund ng mga mambabatas pagkatapos na ito ay ideklara ng Korte Suprema na hindi
naaayon sa konstitusyon, sabi ni Coloma, pinansin na ang PDAF ay buong-buo na
inalis mula sa 2014 na badyet.
Noong nakaraang linggo, ang National Economic
and Development Authority (NEDA) Board na pinamumunuan ni Pangulong Aquino ay
inaprobahan ang siyam namalalaking proyekto para mapabuti ang irrigasyon at patubig,
pati na ang transportasyon at pangkalusugan.
Ang mga proyektong ito ay maipatupadsa
pamamagitan ng iba’t ibang pamamaraan sa paglagay ng pundo, kasali na ang
public-private partnership (PPP) at ang pamumuhunan ng pribadong sektor.
(DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Tagalog News: Estados Unidos, iba pang bansa
gustong mamuhunan sa Mindanao
Ni David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Hunyo 5 (PIA) - Ang Estados
Unidos at iba pang bansa ay tinitingnan ang Mindanao para sa kanilang
pakipagsapalaran sa pamumuhunan, sabi ng Malakanyang noong Miyerkoles.
Sa isang panayam sa media, sinabi ni
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin na nagbigay galang si US Commerce Secretary
Penny Pritzker kay Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III noong Miyerkoles dala-dala
ang delegasyon ng mga negosyante na gustong tumingin kung saan sila maaring
mamuhunan.
“Naghahanap sila ng mga potensiyal na lugar para
mamuhunan tulad ng paggawa ng sasakyan, enerhiya, imprastraktura sa Mindanao,
imprastraktura para sa malakihang transit at pati turismo,” sabi ni Lacierda.
Noong bumisita si Pangulong Barack Obama sa
bansa noong Abril, sinabi niyang si Pritzker at isang delegasyon ng Amerikanong
negosyante ay darating sa Pilipinas para tingnan ang posibilidad na mamuhunan
sa bansa.
Sinabi ni Lacierda na ang klima ng bansa ay
nagiging paborable pagkatapos malagdaan ang Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro ng mga representante ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) at ng
pamahalaan ng Pilipinas.
“Ngayon na dumating na tayo sa isang mapayapang
kasunduan kasama ang MILF, maraming bansa ang tumitingin sa Mindanao na isang
potensiyal na lugar para sa pamumuhunan. Nakita na natin an ibang bansa – mga
bansa sa ASEAN, na tunitingin sa Mindanao. At isa ang Estados Unidos sa mga
bansang interesadong tumingin na mamuhunan sa Mindanao,” sabi ni Lacierda.
Ang Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro na
nilagdaan noong Marso 27, ay tumapos sa deka-dekadang hidwaan sa Mindanao.
(DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Cebuano News: Surigao City Engineering Office
padayon sa ilang mga proyekto
SURIGAO CITY, Hunyo 5 (PIA) – Nagpadayon ang
pipila ka mga proyekto sa Surigao City Engineering Office partikular na sa pag-
improbar og pagpang-repair sa mga nagkadaiyang establisyemento ug
imprastraktura dinhi sa syudad.
Kini ang gipamahayag ni Engineer Rodolfo Farma
ang acting Assistant City Engineer sa buhatan sa Engineering ning syudad.
Sumala pa ni Engr. Farma nga mokantidad sa kapin
ug kulang P25 milyon ang nasampit nga mga proyekto sa pag- improbar og pagpan-
repair sa mga nagkadaiyang establisyemento ug infrastraktura nga gilangkoban sa
mga mosunod, 20 ka mga nagkadaiyang tulay ug kalsada dinhi sa syudad, walo ka
mga school buildings nga gipundohan sa Department of Education, 11 ka mga water
supply diin aduna usab 13 ka mga water system project ang napahigayon nga
pinunduhan sa proyektong gitawag nga “SALINTUBIG” ug 2 ka lain pang mga
proyekto.
Samtang dugang pa ni Farma nga nagpadayon pa
gihapon ang ilang konstruksyon sa maong mga proyekto og sa pagka-karon anaa na
sa 95.02 porsyento ang ilang na akomplisar. (SDR/MICO-Surigao/PIA-Surigao del
Norte)
