DENR-CENRO Bislig leads World Water Day river clean-up
By Lovely May B.
Uriarte
BISLIG CITY, May 24 - The Department of
Environment and Natural Resources-Community Environment and Natural Resources
Office (DENR-CENRO) here recently led the river clean-up drive as part of this year’s
celebration of World Water Day.
A total of 287 volunteers from 11
government agencies and residents of the host barangays actively joined the
clean-up operation.
CENR Officer Victor Sabornido urged all
volunteers to continuously participate and support the advocacy for the
rehabilitation of the said river since it is also a nominee of the Recognizing
Individuals/Institutions towards Vibrant and Enhanced Rivers (RIVERs) for Life
program of the DENR. This river is classified under Class C, where fish can
propagate and thrive.
The clean-up sites considered were
downstream of Bislig River which covers Barangay San Fernando and Poblacion,
Bislig City.
A total of 129 sacks or an estimated
4,442 kilograms of garbage were collected in all stations.
Also, the DENR-CENRO Bislig has
recently conducted series of Information, Education and Communication (IEC)
campaigns within the clean-up sites in order to raise awareness on Ecological
Solid Waste Management Act (R.A. 9003) and Clean Water Act (R.A. 9275).
The area as a nominee of RIVERs for
Life program would not be protected, conserved and rehabilitated for this
one-day event thus, clean-up will be sustainable. (DENR-CENRO
Bislig/PIA-Caraga)
LGU-Lianga prepares for municipal eco-park launching
BUTUAN CITY, May 24 – The local
government unit (LGU) of Lianga, Surigao del Sur is now on its final
preparation for the launching of the alternative technology for waste
disposal site termed as eco-park.
During the quarterly Solid Waste
Management Board (SWMB) meeting, Engr. Edgar Najera, Municipal Environment and
Natural Resources Officer (MENRO)-designate and presiding officer of the
meeting, recalled impediments of the transfer of new disposal site due to the
delay of budget downloading and finalization of development plan. All required
documents and budgetary were already set.
Najera added that the eco-park is
scheduled to operate on this month of May or June of this year.
“The current open dumpsite will totally
be phased-out once the operation of new dumpsite starts; and that the operation
must be realized as soon as possible provided that the budget is all set for
its maintenance,” Najera elaborated.
Meanwhile, Forester Septianne Rose
Moreno, Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)
representative suggested a local ordinance to regulate the usage of plastic
bags to minimize its generation.
“Production of solid wastes cannot be
resisted yet can be minimized and regulated,” she said.
As support to the launching of the
eco-park, a joint barangay-to-barangay information drive between the LGU and
DENR is scheduled every week to intensify the implementation of Republic Act
No. 9003 otherwise known as “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.”
(CENRO-Lianga/PIA-Caraga)
Cantilangnons celebrate Earth Day 2019
By Shekinah L. Rojo
CANTILAN, Surigao del Sur, May 24
- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Community
of Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)-Cantilan, together with the
Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire of Protection (BFP), other
government agencies, Cantilangnons and stakeholders, has showed unity in
celebration of this year’s Earth Day.
The celebration was highlighted with
the conduct of Mangrove Tree Planting and Coastal Clean-up activity at Barangay
Magosilom, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur.
A total of 1,000 mangrove propagules
were planted of mixed bakauan babae and bakauan lalaki and 25 sacks of garbage
was collected by the participants.
Earth Day is celebrated annually, every
22nd day of April. Its core purpose is to raise awareness on the present status
of the environment and to educate the people on ways to mitigate the causes of
climate change.
“Earth Day celebration is just one
avenue for us to show our care for the environment, but if we want to make a
lasting legacy and change, we must practice discipline in our everyday life.
How? Through proper disposal of our waste and teaching our children to do the
same,” CENR Officer Ruel Efren stated.
This year’s Earth Day celebration is
anchored on the theme “Protect our Species." (DENR-CENRO
Cantilan/PIA-Caraga)
Network built to end teen issues
BUENAVISTA, Agusan del Norte, May 24 --
Amidst threats and challenges faced by Filipino adolescents today, the
Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) intensifies its advocacy for
an effective information and service delivery network (ISDN) to ensure
harmonized and complementary interventions and a more comprehensive and
holistic services from different stakeholders in a locality.
Recognizing the issues, POPCOM has
promoted the establishment of ISDN for adolescent health and development, a
mechanism to consolidate and integrate existing information and service
interventions in a locality into one single functional network.
Information and services, programs
related to adolescent health and development will be provided by different
organizations including government agencies and civil society organizations
operating within a given area.
Services for adolescent health include
those that ensure the health and wellness, social, psychological and total
well-being of young people.
In the recently concluded
seminar-workshop for the establishment of ISDN for AHD organized by POPCOM
Caraga, program partners from areas of Bislig City, Cabadbaran City, Agusan del
Sur, and Agusan del Norte, were oriented and able to appreciate the concept of
the said initiative.
Part of POPCOM’s continuing advocacy
and to further strengthen and sustain the said initiative, POPCOM Caraga
Director Alexander A. Makinano emphasized that setting up a teen center in
their respective area is a priority for this will serve as a one-stop-shop
facility where adolescents and youth can easily access a wide range of
information and services to ensure their health and well-being.
Makinano further said that the teen
center will also be the hub and extension of services by the member agencies,
however, ISDN could exist even without a teen center.
POPCOM accented the need for a
youth-friendly facility to avoid the stigma attached to young people going to a
regular health service facility, thus, the agency urges program partners and
stressed the need for ISDN to further address said issue.
In Caraga, areas of Surigao City,
Butuan City, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur, and a few areas of Agusan del
Norte and Surigao del Norte, have already established ISDN and with operational
teen centers.
Establishment of ISDN for AHD and
operationalize school-based or community-based teen centers are among the key
strategies of Adolescent Health and Development Program (AHDP) that aim to
significantly reduce adolescent pregnancies through responsible sexuality and
effective life skills among young people.
POPCOM disclosed that the various
issues including the increasing incidence of teenage pregnancy being faced by
young people of today are caused by complex and interrelated factors such as
lack of access to appropriate and comprehensive information and services
related to their sexual health and development, among others.
On one hand, POPCOM italicized that the
health and well-being of adolescents and youth remain a key development concern
as they continue to be threatened by various issues and challenges that impede
their full growth and development. (POPCOM Caraga/PIA Caraga)
Banwaon tribe declares NPA persona non-grata
SAN LUIS, Agusan del Sur, May 24 –
Another indigenous community made a firm stand as the Banwaon tribe has
recently declared the terrorist New People's Army (NPA) and its affiliated
organizations as persona non-grata in their own tribal territory.
With the support of the tribal leaders
and elders of the Banwaon tribe, the Barangay Council of Balit pushed for the
declaration of persona non-grata against the Communist Party of the
Philippines-NPA (CPP-NPA) and its allied organizations inside their
territories.
The declaration was made thru a
resolution signed by the barangay council during the Barangay Assembly which,
were participated by 258 residents of the barangay.
Datu Antonio “Loay-Loay” Mangkogbahan
Otacan, the Indigenous People Mandatory Representative of the Banwaon tribe,
together with other tribal leaders and elders, expressed his support to the
undertakings of the Council, which according to him is the only path towards
the total transformation of the barangay away from its bad image.
“We must support our Barangay Leaders
for this action without any second thoughts. Being the first barangay leader of
Balit to experience the communists influence in 1986, I was blinded on the
wrong doings of my fellow tribe members in cooperating with the communist
NPAs,” he said.
Brarangay Balit as a former CNN
influenced barangay, its residents used to support the “Taktikang Bakwit”
orchestrated by the Communist Terrorist Groups displacing an estimated 1500 IPs
from the hinter sitios of the municipality and confined them inside Balit
Infirmary Compound for almost three months, in order to hamper the conduct of
community outreach program.
In her statement to enlighten the
residents of her barangay, Punong Barangay Eliza Gaud explained that this act
of the council was an indispensable move in order to end the long history of
the barangay being tagged as the center of gravity of CNN in the whole province
of Agusan del Sur.
“In as much as I wanted to bring development
in our barangay, it is necessary that we must first rebuild our name and stop
the misconceptions of other Agusanon about Balit that we were a solid
communists mass supporters. We are indeed a truly peace-loving people. And by
this declaration, I strongly believe that we are giving a strong message to all
that we are no more 'masa' of the terrorists NPAs,” she said.
“We want Barangay Balit to experience
the true development themselves, and with the newly constructed CAFGU
Detachment in their barangay, we are sure that one step at a time, we can
achieve our mission of bringing the government much closer to them. Their
declaration of persona non grata against the CNN is a big contribution towards
achieving that goals,” Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Jimenea, Commander of 26IB
emphasized to the residents.
Colonel Allan Hambala, 401st Brigade
Commander, expressed his appreciation to this move of the barangay council
stressing that “for almost 33 years of being under the shadow of these
terrorist CPP-NPA, this is the right time to do such significant move, and I
commend the Barangay Council of Balit together with the Banwaon Tribal leaders
in coming up with the resolution of making these terrorists restricted in
Balit. With the institutionalized Whole of Nation Approach of our government,
every Local Government Unit must also do their part on this campaign.”
“Your effort is the most important part
of the plan, and with your active involvement on this mission, we are very sure
to end this local communist armed conflict in no time,” Hambala added.
(26IB/401st Brigade, PA/ PIA-Agusan del Sur)
