DFA, PIA hold info drive on West PH Sea issue in
Butuan
By Daisy Jane M. Apit
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 25 (PIA) –The Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA), in partnership with the Philippine Information Agency
(PIA), gave updates on the latest matters on the West Philippine Sea (WPS)
issue especially on the results of the case filed in the Arbitral Tribunal to
Butuanon media practitioners in a press conference held Monday at the Samping
Avenue, this city.
According to DFA - Maritime and Oceans Affairs
Office executive director Ma. Teresa Almojuela, the hearing on the merits of
the case filed have already been conducted last November and the results will
be given this last quarter of the year.
"We are positive that the results will be in
our favor. The government is continously making efforts in engaging the WPS
issue in the international talks with other foreign countries," added
Almojuela.
During the press conference, the talks covered the
core issues of the West Philippine Sea dispute, the Philippine official policy
and its guiding principles, as well as the government efforts on the issue.
"The issue on West Philippine Sea is not only
relevant for the interest of the country in winning the dispute but also to
reinforce the supremacy of the rule of the Law specifically the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS)," Dir. Almojuela said.
Furthermore, PIA Program Management Division staff
director Emelyn Libunao underscored that the respect to the primary of the rule
of law is the government's guiding principle. “Waging war is not our end
option. We want to help our fellow Filipinos to truly understand that we are
determined to defend what is legitimately ours. That is, pursuing the fight
through diplomatic track as prescribed by the frame reference ins resolving the
dispute,” Libunao added.
The press conference is part of the three-day from
January 25-27 activity in Butuan set by the said offices to disseminate
information to the stakeholders. (VLG/JPG/NCLM/DJA/PIA-Caraga)
“El NiΓ±o” downs rice yield in SurSur
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Jan. 25 (PIA) – The
Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAG) here, which played host to this
week’s Monday flag ceremony program, bared the agriculture sector had suffered
from the mild effects of El NiΓ±o phenomenon in 2015.
Marcos Quico, provincial agriculturist, told
capitol employees palay harvest did not turn that good, citing climate change,
particularly El NiΓ±o, as culprit.
By presenting a comparative data planted with rice
in 2014 and 2015, production per metric ton (MT) was said to have gone down
significantly, pointing out that during the previous year, 2014, a total of
33,701 hectares were reported to have been planted as compared to only 31,059
hectares in 2015.
As a result, Quico said, the province had posted a
“-6.84 percent growth rate (GR),” showing production at 112,493 MT in 2014 as
against 104,794 MT in 2015.
“We expect that we will be having shortfall of
supply in the next months. The only
advantage we have—because we have a ‘seesaw’ harvesting in Surigao del
Sur. While the central (part) is
resting, the Carcanmadcarlan area (five clusters of municipalities in the
north) is harvesting,” explained the chief agriculturist.
Rice fields in the province are classified only as
“irrigated and rainfed,” the former somewhat doubling the area of the latter.
As broken down, the irrigated and rainfed areas
planted/harvested in 2014 were at 22,404 and 11,297 hectares as compared to
20,164 and 10,895 hectares, respectively, in 2015
On the other hand, the chief agriculturist allayed
fears of rice shortage.
Referring to worst scenario, he assured that this
would not take place unless rice production could go down to as much as 50
percent.
During that occasion, Quico also disclosed plans
of seeing Governor Johnny Pimentel and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan members for
a consultation.
“We are intending to report this to the Sanggunian
and to the governor so that we can also suggest some mitigation to, at least,
cushion the impact of the dry spell,” he said.
Last year, Quico had said many times over that
mitigating measures had been in place here even before mild El NiΓ±o had taken
its toll on the farm sector. (NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
More than 300 Caraganons benefit from Responsible
Parenthood, Family Planning mass mobilization
By May Ann O. Escobal
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 25 (PIA) - More than 300
beneficiaries were served successfully during the Responsible Parenthood and
Family Planning Mass Mobilization held on the later part of 2015 in the
municipalities of Mainit and Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte; and in the cities of
Surigao, Butuan and Bislig, respectively.
Regional Director Alexander A. Makinano of the
Commission on Population (PopCom) Caraga pointed out the significance of this
activity to give quality family planning and other health services to the less
fortunate Caraganons especially to women with unmet need on family planning and
wanted to avail of the services for free.
“When we say unmet need, these couples or women
want to limit and space their pregnancy but are not using any family planning
methods because of fear of side effects, misconceptions, and inadequate
knowledge on method desired,” Makinano elaborated.
PopCom official also emphasized that prior to the
service delivery, breakout sessions were first conducted among married women of
reproductive ages.
Through the partnership with local population and
health workers, the beneficiaries underwent sessions on Responsible Parenthood
and Family Planning (FP) as well as counselling on FP for those women with
unmet need who desired to use FP method.
Mass Mob is one of the initiatives implemented by
PopCom in partnership with the Department of Health-Caraga specifically to
reduce unmet need for modern family planning which is critical element in
achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of improving maternal health.
(PopCom-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
