ISSUE NO. 13, MARCH 30, 2006

NegOr farmers reap positive effects of La Niña
In the midst of gloomy forecasts and dire warnings in connection with the onset of La Niña, farmers in Oriental Negros are instead reaping in on the favorable effects of the weather phenomenon on rice fields in the province.

According to Provincial Agriculturist Gregorio Paltinca, Oriental Negros is experiencing the “positive side” of La Niña as the rain brought about by the abnormal weather phenomenon has been beneficial to the farmers in view of the summer season from February to April.

With the onset of the dry season, there is not enough water in areas planted with rice especially during the second cropping. But this year, because of La Niña, farmers here are enjoying better farm yield, says Paltinca during the Kapihan forum held recently by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

In spite of the arid period due to the summer season, Paltinca said the rice fields are looking healthy compared to the same period in previous years when there was no La Niña.
The provincial agriculturist’s observations are echoed by the Department of Agriculture Region 7 Director Eduardo Lecciones who expects that La Niña will boost agricultural production in Central Visayas.

“Production of rice and corn, the top produce of the region is expected to increase with La Niña as planting season comes earlier this year, “ says Lecciones during the 2nd meeting on the Asean Standards for Horticulture Produce in Cebu City recently.

Lecciones disclosed that La Niña is saving farmers and the government a lot of money in bringing water to the farmlands.

However, Bohol, according to Lecciones, was tremendously affected with the hot season. In coordination with the Philippine Air Force, constant cloud seeding was conducted to produce rains.

Lecciones further said Central Visayas will benefit from La Niña compared to the other regions because its geographical nature does not pose any danger to the agricultural sector, specifically crops, rice and corn production.

He added that compared with the previous years, rice and corn production cycle, i.e. harvesting and planting is done in May where rains are expected to come just after the hot summer months. This year, because of the onset of La Niña, the country is experiencing rain as early as March; a day after the other planting cycle is done. “ The Panu-ig Crop, that is done in May can now be done this month,” Lecciones added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture continuers to fast track the rehabilitation and repair of the country’s national and communal irrigation systems in time for the planting season.

In line with this the DA national office has allocated funds for the planting of rice using certified seeds in various areas across the country.

Paltinca said possible areas to be planted with rice in Oriental Negros are the following: Canlaon City (75 hectares); Vallehermoso (10 hectares); Guihulngan (20 hectares); Jimalalud (20 hectares); Tayasan (55 hectares); Ayungon (20 hectares); Mabinay (75 hectares); Zamboanguita (20 hectares); Siaton (75 hectares); Sta. Catalina (100 hectares); Bayawan City (130 hectares); Basay (20 hectares); and Dumaguete City (10 hectares).

Paltinca is urging farmers in the province to use certified seeds instead of good seeds. He explained that certified seeds will yield an average production of between 100 to 130 cavans per hectare, which is 15% more than good seeds. “If we use good seeds only, it’s only around 60 or 70 cavans,” he adds.

Fire incidents resulted to more than 23M worth of damage in ‘05
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the province reported that the total damage caused by fire incidents in 2005 is pegged at P23.2 million.
There were a total of 288 fire incidents reported in Oriental Negros last year.
So far from January to March this year, 54 fire incidents have been recorded with the total damage placed at P2.7 million.
This was disclosed during the Kapihan forum held recently by the Philippine Information Agency at Bethel Guesthouse.
SFO2 Lorenco Trasmonte, speaking during the forum, the cause of the most number of fire incidents here are electrical in nature.
In line with the Fire Prevention Month celebration in March, the BFP here have conducted several activities geared towards boosting the fire control and prevention campaign in the province.
One of the activities done was the inspection of all dormitories in the city, particularly the back yards. “Dormitories pose a hazard for fire incidents as waste materials from students’ activities accumulate mostly at the back of dormitories,” says SFO4 Ramon Langcoyan in the same forum.
Langcoyan also disclosed that the BFO here is adopting the running card system as part of an effective fire response, suppression and control system. “Like in Tanjay City, when the market burned down, the fire truck in Tanjay at that time was responding to a fire incident in another area,” he said.

The fire officer explained that with the running card system, in the case of Tanjay City, if the fire truck there is responding to a fire incident in another area, the fire stations in San Jose and Bais City will be informed beforehand so that they will be the first to respond in case a fire breaks out in Tanjay City.

So far, towns in the province that do not have fire trucks are: Bacong, Zamboanguita, Dauin, Basay, Sibulan, Amlan, Manjuyod, Pamplona, Bindoy, Ayungon, Jimalalud, La Libertad and Vallehermoso.

Rural development frontliners complete training
Around 115 front liners from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and different local government units in Regions 7 and 9 have completed the three-week
Comprehensive Rural Entrepreneurial Academy (CREA) training conducted by the Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Programme (BIARSP) – Technical Support and Coordination Office.
CREA is a BIARSP-funded municipal-level intervention program aimed to capacitate municipal front liners with leadership, entrepreneurial and functional skills in rural and entrepreneurial know-how and leadership.
During the graduation program for the five batches of the CREA training course held at Bethel Guesthouse recently, a forum on rural development was conducted to expand the networks of the CREA.

The CREA graduates are currently implementing their respective individual and group projects.


GSIS members urged to join in the bigger, better GSIS scholarship raffle program
The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) is encouraging all active GSIS members who have no premium arrearages to join in the bigger and better GSIS scholarship raffle program.
According to local GSIS Department Manager Ma. Erlinda P. Roma, the awarding of scholarship slots is now determined by an electronic raffle.
GSIS members may nominate their children, spouses, nephews and nieces, brothers, sisters, grandchildren and even non-relatives, says Roma.
Scholars will enjoy up to P20,000 in tuition and miscellaneous fees per semester with a monthly stipend of P2,000.
Interested members need only secure and fill out an application form and submit to the GSIS office personally or thru an accredited liaison officer attached with a transmittal letter signed by the proper office authorities.
Roma said application forms should be accompanied with the member’s policy contract for validation purposes.
Deadline of submission of applications is on April 21, 2006 at 5:00 p.m.

Volunteer probation aide training set in April
The Oriental Negros Province Parole and Probation Office (ONPPO) is set to hold a basic volunteer probation aide (VPA) training seminar on April 20 and 21 at the Sibulan Session Hall.

The training is co-sponsored by the ONPPO under the leadership of Chief Probation and Parole Officer Atanacio Llena and the Sibulan municipal government under Mayor Antonio Renacia together with the Association of Barangay Captains of Sibulan.

The VPA training is one of the major thrusts of the ONPPO in the treatment and rehabilitation of its clients.

Participants of the training are barangay officials and other professionals who have signified their interest in the program.

To qualify, a volunteer must be of good standing in the community with good moral character and a sincere desire to serve others.

The volunteers are the human resources in the community who are directly involved in crime prevention per Sec. 28 of PD 968 which permits the utilization of the services of VPAs to assist the probation and parole officers in the supervision of probationers, parolees and pardonees.

U.S. Government Partners with Radyo ng Bayan to Create Weekly English-Language Radio Program in Mindanao

Thanks to development assistance from the American people, thousands of Mindanao residents will have the chance to learn English at home with their own weekly tutor: the radio. Through a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Radyo ng Bayan network launched Real World English, a weekly English-language instructional radio show, on its DXMR Zamboanga City station on March 25.

Radyo ng Bayan, a subsidiary of the Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS), will broadcast 52 episodes of Real World English every Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. from its stations across Mindanao, reaching the provinces of Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Marawi City. The 30-minute show will provide English-language high school teachers useful information to improve English instruction in the classroom, and expose the general listening public to native English speakers. Prizes will be given each week to selected listeners who provide the right answers to the weekly English lesson questions.

USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS) project introduced the Real World English program through its Improving English Language Teaching and Learning in Mindanao (IELTLM) project. EQuALLS is a five-year initiative funded by the U.S. Government to promote improvements in elementary and secondary education in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and other conflict-affected areas.

A launching ceremony marked the maiden broadcast of Real World English on March 25. Zamboanga City DXMR Radyo ng Bayan Station Manager Danilo Macansantos opened the inaugural broadcast with the remarks: “Through Real World English, we hope to contribute to the Department of Education’s effort to improve the English language proficiency of our teachers and learners. This is also an opportunity for all of us in Zamboanga City, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Marawi City, and other areas reached by this broadcast to discuss our own Mindanaoan culture even as we speak about the American way of life.”
PBS Director Rafael Dante A. Cruz highlighted the power of radio to deliver “practical knowledge and useful information” to the Filipino people. Dr. Thomas Kral, USAID Chief, Office of Education, recalled his time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines and spoke of traveling throughout the Sulu Archipelago more than 35 years ago, forming friendships with local residents through English language. Dr. Kral also stressed the added importance of English language skills in today’s era of globalization.

IELTLM is a multi-stakeholder education initiative of Real World Productions, Radyo ng Bayan, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Notre Dame University – Cotabato City, and the Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography. USAID provides technical and financial assistance to IELTM through the EQuALLS Project.


Repeal mining act, says CBCP, environmentalists
Lately getting hid media mileage on political issues, the Catholc Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) was again put in limelight when it recently issued a pastoral statement urging for the scrapping of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

In Siquijor province, an environmental awareness forum was held recently in Larena to tackle the issue. With this was a signature campaign dubbed by the Catholic Church Hierarchy as “active non-violence” to mount a people’s initiative to fully scrap the mining act.

Fr. Susano Arbas of the Enrique Villanueva Parish Church on behalf of the CBCP branded the mining act as destructive to the lives of the people. “If this act won’t be repealed, the people will continue to suffer and go poor. Large scale mining has not eased poverty in our midst. It has not been the seen solution of our growing hardship, in fact, it is inherently dangerous with all its supposed evils,” he stressed.

Framework not beneficial
Environmentalists from militant groups are taking the same stand on the issue.
Speaker Glemar Bacusmo said the Philippine Act of 1995 is only benefit to a privilege few.

He, however, said the problem is not the mining itself but the framework or the provisions of the act. He stressed that the country is rich in mineral resources and that a mining industry is an essential part of any developing country like the Philippines. According to him an estimated worth of $840,000 billion is found in our mineral resources, which is 10 times bigger than our annual gross domestic product (GDP) and 15 times higher than our country’s external debt. If used properly, it would be a great help to all Filipinos, he said.

Under the law, however, foreign corporations are allowed 100% control of the mining operation through the so-called financial technical assistance agreement (FTAA), allows 100% repatriation of profit to these foreign corporations, permits 25 years of operation renewable for another 25 years, and gives priority access to timbers in the mining area, leaving almost nothing for the Filipino people who are the real owners of the land.

Citing statistics, Bacusmo also added that as of year 2000, large-scale mining had only contributed P10.6 billion in the GDP compared to that of agriculture, which was P189.1 billion. He added that as of today 15 million hectares or 48.3% of our total land area is already covered by mining.

Following the St. Bernard mudslide tragedy in Southern Leyte last month, other speakers spoke of the horrifying effects of mining. Vida Arcamo, Secretary General of Gabriela in Cebu City and President of the Siquijor Environment Advocates (SEA), Inc. and Paul Rodriguea of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said that this tragic event brought the urgent message of mining being a social, environmental and health threat to all. Their discussions could be summed up that our country had already experienced the negative impact of mining in many lives and properties, and if not taken with concrete steps will continue to recur.
A documentary of Wilkie Duran, a former employee of the Lazi Bay Resources Management Inc., an elleged victim who died from chemical contamination of this limestone mining here was shown to the participants in the forum. The short film won in the Brussels Film Festival by award-winning filmmaker Minnie Crouse, also an environment advocate.

The management of the company, however, denied the allegation and allayed fears saying that they are closely monitoring and it is unlikely at this point that the mining threatens Siquijor and its people.

Fr. Susano Arbas, on the other hand, didn’t discount the benefits mining can bring to the prosperity of the people. He, however, said that mining, to be benefited by all, must be done within the process of fairness and equity.

“We are for mining that doesn’t serve the personal interests of the few but one that improves the lives of all people especially the poor. A moral mining is one that doesn’t cut off the survival of the people,” he said.

Following the CBCP’s statement, Arbas said that the root of all crises is erosion of moral
values, especially people who run the affairs of the government. For confidence and trust to be restored in the political process, the government must have credible people with personal integrity, he said. To cure what is called the “social cancer,” Filipilno s should combine their efforts and come up with a “new breed of leaders in the country,” he added.
The country’s institutions would be strong if they were anchored on “morals, ethics, social responsibility and good governance,” he said.

Siquijor celebrates fire prevention month
The province of Siquijor celebrates this March the fire prevention month with the theme: “Pamayanan Sama-Sama Laban Sa Sunog”.
A program of activities is now lined up by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Provincial Office to carry out the celebration.
FO2 Jennifer Calubag of the BFP here said a Fire Olympics will be held at Pulangyuta grounds on March 31. This will be participated by all BFP personnel and volunteer fire brigades from Larena, Lazi, San Juan and Siquijor. The games include bucket relay, fire extinguishments, hose relay, busted hose and tug of war.
Another highlight of the occasion is the poster making contest depicting the theme which will be participated in by all interested high school students in the province.
Prior to this is the opening salvo consisting the motorcade and hanging of streamers. The BFP personnel is also conducting seminars and lectures on fire safety to all private and public high schools in Siquijor while a fire drill will be held at the Siquijor State College (SSC) in Larena.
Although fire incidents rarely happen here, Calubag underscored the importance of these activities as they will equip the students with information and fire safety tips this summer- the best time of the year when fire occurrence abound.
At present the BFP provincial office is manned by 22 personnel and is waiting for more who are undergoing training at Fire National Training Institute at Camp Vicente Lim, Calamba City, Laguna.

6 pass DOST scholarship
Six high school students in Siquijor province passed the 2006 DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scholarship Examination held last December 4, 2005.

The qualifiers as bared by Provincial S&T Officer Engr. Mario de la Peña of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Provincial Office.

Engr. de la Peña said this year's qualifiers were selected from among 76 examinees from various high schools in the province. The 6 students qualified for RA 7687 Science and Technology scholarships. The scholars must enroll in 4 or 5-year baccalaureate degrees in priority science and technology fields.

He said that the scholars will receive tuition fees, monthly stipends, book and transportation allowances . He added that the qualifiers will receive notice of schloarship award from DOST-SEI or the DOST Regional Offices stating the date of orientation and contract signing. Each qulaifier is required to report to the designated venue with a parent/guardian and to bring the following documents: accompanying parent/guardian's 2006 residence certificate, documentary stamp and notarization fee.

Undergraduate scholarship programs in science and technology are administered and implemented yearly by the DOST-SEI as its contribution to developing a pool of human resources who will take active participation and leadership roles in carrying out S&T activities in the country. Currently, there are 9, 333 beneficiaries of the RA 7687 Scholarship Program, while 789 are being supported under the Merit Scholarship Program, de la Peña said.

Women’s federation prexy talks of dignity, role and rights of women
“Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised” Proverbs 31:30
History is replete with accounts of inequality between men and women, with the scale tipped usually in favor of the masculine gender. Men have traditionally dominated women. There is so much discrimination, unequal pay for equal work and some wives are maltreated by their husbands. Today women are in all areas of society, but even from among themselves are some who are reluctant to follow the leadership of women, simply because they are women.
“I’m happy that women have learned to stand up for their rights,” Larena Women’s federation President Gladys Estrellada said to her women folks celebrating the National Women’s Month in March. She said women today are already protected by several laws recognizing the government’s commitment to the principle of “equality between men and women” and “women empowerment” as essential for nation building and development. But let us remember that “the law of God is the only perfect law,” she said exhorting women to take note of their responsibilities equal to their rights. “No matter how well-versed we are with our rights if we don’t know our responsibilities, we cannot claim our rights because equally important is our responsibility – as mothers who generously cooperated with God in giving life and guiding the steps of their children or as wives, who place themselves at the service of love and life; or as daughters and as sisters, she said.
“A virtuous woman is one who nurtures for her family , one who nurtures her children with love because from it comes an upright society, she added quoting Proverbs 31:30: “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”
Estrellada however, challenged the women to assert their rights without ignoring their responsibilities. “ We are our husband’s helpmates. Don’t allow them to abuse you and trample your rights,” she said.

PHE approach to impact food security, quality of life in Siquijor – IPOPCORM
The interconnected problems related to population, health and environment (PHE) are among the Philippines’ greatest challenges in achieving national development goals. Although the Philippines has abundant natural resources, these resources are compromised by a number of factors, including population pressures and poverty. The result: public health, well-being and sustainable development are at risk. This is where the Integrated Population and Coastal Resource Management Initiative (IPOPCORM) of the PATH Foundation Philippines came into the picture. This non-government organization whose central theme “food security” has been working towards three desired outcomes: improving reproductive health outcomes among people living in coastal communities; enhancing management of coastal and marine resources; and increasing awareness and support for linked integrated coastal management-reproductive health approaches among policymakers and the public.
Siquijor being one of the eight provinces in five regions of the country currently implemented by the IPOPCORM, a symposium on “Gains and Challenges in Linked population and Coastal Resources Management for Sustainable Development” was held recently to address these present issues and concerns. The activity was aimed to facilitate and create a province-wide model for mainstreaming PHE approach in Siquijor based on its actual/present situation.
“It is important to use an innovation to sustain development efforts in conserving our coastal resources especially in Siquijor where 2/3 of the people live in coastal barangays and where municipal waters are 5 times greater than its total land area”, says Roger Mark de Souza, Technical Director of the Population Reference Bureau.
“The integration of PHE is important for the island because fishing has been considered as the main livelihood of the people here. This approach will help promote economy of sale in the province, address social problems in a creative and critical way and improve coastal resource management”, he said.
Project Director of the PATH Foundation Philippines, Dr. Joan Castro said population pressure has been the cause of degradation of natural resources, income disparity, gender inequality and poor maternal and child health. She said family planning is a strategic intervention to reduce population in Siquijor stressing that family size lowers educational attainment for children in the household and that poor reproductive health lower capability of poor women to escape poverty.
“If current trends of population growth and coastal resource exploitation continues the availability and affordability of fish to provide crucial source of protein in the communities will be lost”, she said.
She said the IPOPCORM has been helping in scaling up integrated approach to all coastal barangays in Siquijor, tightening enforcement of laws of illegal fishing and expanding alternative and micro-credit programs to assist more fishers. “The overriding concern foremost in residents’ minds is the search for gainful employment and adequate income. Unless we help people and communities meet their basic needs and become self-sufficient, we cannot expect them to work with us in conservation”, she said.