Issue No. 37, Sept. 13, 2006

ONTC holds grand cook fest during Buglasan
By: Jennifer Catan Tilos

The Oriental Negros Tourism Council (ONTC) will hold a grand cook fest dubbed as “Lutong Garbo sa Oriental Negros” during the Buglasan Festivals on October 26-27, 2006 at Negros Oriental High School Gymnasium, this city.

This two-day Lutong Garbo competition is open to all residents from the municipalities and cities of the province, however, the contestants must be duly endorsed by the Mayor as the official representative of the locality.

The main dish or recipe entry must feature ingredients indigenous to the area represented as part of the criteria of the contest; and the use of ingredients such as monosodium glutamate, canned goods, imported products, and artificial seasonings are disallowed.

Vice-Chair Sylvia Uy of ONTC said, this activity is designed to encourage households to cook palatable and nutritious food with the use of their native recipe. This is also to find out food available everyday in the areas that could be promoted and identified as Oriental Negros’ fine cuisine.

The competition banners the theme: “Discovering Developing and Promoting Oriental Negros Culinary Heritage.”

The contestants are given 45 minutes to cook per main dish, nevertheless, one point will be deducted from the final rating of the participant for every minute exceeded.

Food preparation will be judged according to the following criteria: palatability, 50 percent; 30 percent for originality; and 20 percent for presentation. Those who got 100 percent will receive P10,000, gift pack and a trophy for the first prize; for the 2nd placer will accept P5,000, gift pack plus trophy; and P3,000 plus gift pack and a trophy for the 3rd placer. For non –winners, consolation prize of P1,000, gift pack plus certificates of participation will be awarded by the Lutong Garbo Competition committee.

Meanwhile, the world is taking notice of the country’s advances in all fronts of development, social reform and security.

Malacañang said political noise has been abated and economic gains are shining through as the country have already weathered the worst of political turmoil.

The Administration’s call for national unity and reconciliation is in earnest and all hands are welcomed to help the people and the Government push this nation up and forward.

Dengue on the rise, DOH warns public
By: Jennifer Catan-Tilos

The local health official warns the public as the dengue cases in the province is increasing with a total of 5 deaths of the 570 cases reported from January to September 12, this year.

Officer-in-Charge, Mosquito Borne Diseases Control Program Coordinator, Ms. Susie Sayre of the Department of Health here said, of the total number dengue cases in the province, Dumaguete City has the highest number of cases with 132 victims and one fatality who died yesterday, from barangay Batinguel.

The first 5 areas which have high incidence of dengue are: Tanjay City with 120 cases and 2 deaths; Mabinay 76 with 1 death; Bais City, 62 cases with 1 death; and Sibulan, 49 cases.
However, Ms. Sayre said, records show that there were 803 dengue incidence occurred with 6 deaths in 2005 compared in the same period this year. Nevertheless, she warned the public to be more cautious by cleaning in and outside the house to prevent such deadly virus.

Dengue is primarily a disease of the tropics, and the viruses that cause it are maintained in a cycle that involves humans and Aedes aegypti, a domestic, day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans. Infection with dengue viruses produces a spectrum of clinical illness ranging from a nonspecific viral syndrome to severe and fatal hemorrhagic disease. Important risk factors for DHF include the strain and serotype of the infecting virus, as well as the age, immune status, and genetic predisposition of the patient.

The rising dengue cases are being addressed squarely as measures are already in place to fight the spread of the disease.

President Arroyo is concerned over the growing number of dengue cases and has already instructed the Department of Health to make a thorough assessment of the situation and take action in affected and vulnerable areas—especially in containing outbreaks and intensifying clean-up operations using the safest means available.

Dengue fever is characterized by sudden onset, high fever, severe headaches, joint and muscle pain, nausea/vomiting, and rash. The rash may appear 3–4 days after the onset of fever. Infection is diagnosed by a blood test that detects the presence of the virus or antibodies. The illness may last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take 2–4 week

Do not eat shellfishes, young crabs from oil slick-affected areas – BFAR7
By: Rachelle Nessia

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Region 7 has warned the public to avoid eating shellfishes and young crabs caught in oil slick-affected shore areas as these are not safe for human consumption.

In a recent advisory issued by BFAR-7, the bureau warned that shellfishes and young crabs in shore areas are easily tainted with bunker oil slick deposited by incoming high tide.

On the other hand, fish caught in open waters in Guimaras Strait, Panay Gulf and in the Visayan Sea are safe for human consumption, according to the advisory.

BFAR has conducted various analyses on different species caught in the areas surrounding the island province of Guimaras, following the tragic oil spill from the sinking of MT Solar 1 on August 13.

Results of the analyses on various fish species caught from Guimaras Strait and Panay gulf and landed in Nueva Valencia, Sibunag, San Lorenzo, and Buenavista, Guimaras and in Guimbal, Iloilo showed that all samples were negative for bunker oil.

Various fish species caught in the Visayan Sea and landed in the municipalities of Ajuy, Concepcion and Estancia were also found to be negative for bunker oil.

According to Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr, BFAR director, in open water, fish have the ability to swim away from a spill by going deeper in the water or farther out to sea, reducing the likelihood that they will be harmed even by a major spill.

But the same is not true for aquatic plants and animals that live closer to shore areas which are covered and exposed by the tides.

Young crabs, mussels, oysters, clams, seaweeds, borrowing organism and nursery stage of fish all suffocate when exposed to large amounts of oil, explains Sarmiento.

The bureau’s laboratory evaluation on samples of shellfishes from the said shore areas in Guimaras showed that the shellfishes were tainted with bunker oil.

“Based on the stated results, the public is therefore informed that fish caught in open waters in Guimaras Strait, Panay Gulf and the Visayan sea are safe for human consumption,” the advisory stated.

Moves are now in place to siphon off the remaining bunker fuel inside the M/T Solar I, which has caused a massive oil spill off Guimaras Island in the central Philippines.

"We will siphon off the oil from the sunken tanker," said Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr., concurrent chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council and the government's Task Force Guimaras, at a meeting in Camp Aguinaldo.

The decision was made after the ship was found to be stable on the seabed 600 meters beneath the surface, based on pictures taken by the Japanese salvage ship Shinsei Maru, said Joe Nichols, representative of the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC).
Nichols said it would take one week for the IOPC, a worldwide organization of petroleum companies, to decide whether to approve the siphoning and shoulder its cost.

Since an estimated 1.3 million of the two million liters of bunker fuel has leaked out of Solar I, the siphoning would take around 20 days. Had the tanker been full, it would take 45 days, Nichols said.

And if the IOPC decides to shoulder the siphoning, it would take several more weeks to plan the operations, Nichols said during a National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) meeting in Camp Aguinaldo.(PIA/RMN)

Top officials leave for educational tour in Sweden and Thailand
By: Rachelle Nessia

Governor George Arnaiz and Vice Governor Jose Baldado are set to embark on separate educational tours abroad geared towards local governance and environmental sustainability.
According to Capitol Information Officer Oliver Lemence, Governor Arnaiz will leave for Sweden on September 13 upon the invitation of the Swedish Government through the local government academy of Sweden.

Arnaiz was chosen by the League of Governors President Enrico Aumentando as the league’s official delegate.

In Sweden, the governor and company will study the local governance of Sweden from September 14 to 29.

Arnaiz went on a similar educational tour to Germany two years ago upon the invitation of the German Government to study federalism and local governance.

Lemence said the Swedish trip will be the sixth travel of the provincial chief executive since he assumed office in 1998, all paid for by the inviting agency or sponsored by the foreign government.

Arnaiz has visited Australia, China, Thailand and Taiwan to learn the business and investment, federalism, water systems, technologies in agriculture, organic farming and tourism- all major programs of his administration – to spur the economy of the province and improve local governance.

Meanwhile, Vice Governor Baldado will be leaving for Thailand on September 10 to 13 upon the invitation of the Department of Interior and Local Government – German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) water and sanitation program.

Lemence said the vice governor is set to attend a conference on Integrated Water Resource Management in the Southeast Asia Regional IWRM 2005 Meeting with the theme “Accelerating IWRM Planning and Implementation for Environmental Stability.”

The conference will be held in Hinsuay Namsai Resort Hotel, Sakpong District, Rayong Province, Thailand.

The event is sponsored by the Danish International Development (Danida) and convened by the United Nations Environment Program, Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia and the Department of Water Resources, Monre, Thailand.

Andreas Kanzler, GTZ country director of the Philippines and the Pacific, who invited the vice governor said the conference is aimed at promoting regional dialogue on lessons learned on accelerating IWRM planning and implementation.

Kanzler stressed the need to further strengthen regional and national efforts on IWMR and environmental sustainability aspects in water management in Southeast Asia.

One of the highlights of the conference is the presentation of lessons learned from IWRM activities from different countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

In a related development, President Gloria Macapgal-Arroyo is one of only four lady heads of state attending the 6th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM6) in Helsinki, Finland which is expected to further enhance relations between the two regions ranging from trade to security cooperation.

The 25-nation European Union, both curious and cautious about Asia's growing role in world affairs, hosts leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Korea and Japan for two days of talks in this Nordic country which holds the EU's rotating presidency.

ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Administration is confident that it will be able to convince the European Union leaders that the Philippine government has nothing to do with the spate of killings, impress upon them that the Government does not condone these dastardly acts, and prove the Government’s determined efforts to bring justice to the victims and put a stop to all forms of politically-motivated violence. (PIA/RMN)

VM Ablong warns of pitfalls of tourism
By: Rachelle Nessia

The Vice Mayor of Dumaguete has warned anew the health hazards posed by sewage and septage, which he said are some of the pitfalls that tourism can bring to the city and Oriental Negros.

During the recent Regional Assembly of the Central Visayas Tourism Council, Vice Mayor William Ablong said that although tourism can bring substantial benefits, it has many drawbacks that can easily erode its gains.

Ablong explained that sewage is the wastewater particularly from toilets and other household areas and also industrial and storm waters while septage is the thickened sewage inside the septic tank.

Untreated wastewater affects health by spreading disease-causing bacteria and viruses, making water unfit for drinking and recreational use, threatening biodiversity, and deteriorating overall quality of life, he warned.

Gastroenteritis, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis and SARS are the very common diseases caused by polluted water.

According to Ablong, water pollution due to inadequate wastewater collection and treatment facilities is a serious problem in the Philippines with more than 90% of the sewage generated not disposed or treated in an environmentally acceptable manner (World Bank 2003).

“Septic tanks alone are not environmentally acceptable,” says Ablong, who is also an environmentalist.

According to City Public Information Officer Andre Tumulak, the city is now on its way towards implementing a citywide wastewater management program.

This is to preserve and conserve the good quality of drinking water supply underground and improve quality of the water in the oceanfront along the city’s popular boulevard promenade, says Tumulak.

The city is one of the pilot cities in the Philippines under the Local Initiatives for Affordable Wastewater Treatment (LINAW) project of the USAID.

Under LINAW, the city government will build an offsite biological treatment facility consisting of a series of 8 ponds to treat septage from the city’s septic tanks, from over 21,000 households, commercial establishments, schools, hospitals, the public market and the city hall as well as building a Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS) for the public market sewage problem.

The provincial government has been pushing for the promotion of the province as a premier tourist destination in Central Visayas, in a bid to cash in on tourism, which according to Ablong, is now the largest industry in the world.

The province is a known coastal tourism destination in the country because of its crystal clear waters along white sandy beaches lined with coconut palms.

Meanwhile, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called on the heads of Asian and European nations taking part in the 6th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Helsinki, Finland to support the "Manila Vision and Action Plan" on the protection of the marine environment as proposed in the first ASEM Oceans Initiative.

The Philippines, Indonesia and Portugal are the sponsors of the proposal.

The President’s strong push for the two regions -- Asia and Europe -- to forge a stronger cooperation on marine environment protection and scientific research came amid the rapid degradation of the world’s oceans.(PIA/RMN)

NFA sets new buying price for corn procurement

The National Food Authority has announced the new buying price for the procurement of corn, which is now P8.50 per kilogram.

According to NFA Provincial Manager Marianito Bejemino, the new buying price was approved by the NFA Council in its meeting on August 23, setting a new buying price for clean and dry white corngrains that took effect immediately.

Bejemino said that as standard operating procedure, all while corn grains shall be subject to the existing Equivalent Net Weight Factor Table for Corngrains.

The drying incentive fee shall be granted to white corn deliveries with moisture content of 14% and below, he said.

“The cooperative development incentive fund of P0.25/kg shall be given only to farmers cooperatives,” adds Bejemino.

Farmers and farmers cooperatives who wish to learn of more details on the new buying price may contact NFA Assistant Provincial Manager Francisco L. Lorico Jr. at 225-2823, 422-1723, 225-6522 and 422-1731. (PIA/RMN)

OrNeg extends P300T financial assistance to Guimaras
By: Rachelle Nessia

The provincial government of Oriental Negros is set to extend a financial assistance of P300,000 to the Island Province of Guimaras as a result of the oil spill brought about by the sinking of MT Solar I on August 11.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has authorized Governor George P. Arnaiz to release the amount that will be sourced out from the General Fund as financial aid to Guimaras.

According to Capitol Information Officer Oliver Lemence, it has been the policy of the governor to extend financial support to provinces in distress.

It can be recalled that the governor has extended P500,000 early this year for the landslide victims of Brgy. Guinsaugon, Leyte.

Lemence quoted Arnaiz as saying that “it is not the amount but the thought of giving.”

Meanwhile, the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) is wrapping up final deliberations following two weeks of hearings to determine why the ship sank.

Cruz said he expects the BMI to submit its report to him this week.

The chairman of the BMI, Rear Admiral Danilo Abinoja, had said that they were looking at either force majeure or environmental factors, or human error as the cause of the sinking.

The ship's captain, Norberto Aguro, has been blamed for the sinking after he decided to continue sailing to Zamboanga City through the Guimaras Strait despite inclement weather and even as the ship was listing and filling up with water. (PIA/RMN)

Media urged to guard against misleading reports
Recent claims of German bank deposits and breaches in airport security underscore the need for media to guard against misleading reports by always asking for proof before rushing to print or broadcast any claim, Cabinet Secretary Ricardo L. Saludo said today.

At the same time, Saludo said the public, for its part, should check reports if any evidence is given for assertions made, before believing them.

Noting that journalists ask for solid evidence when they are accused, as in the case of a broadcaster alleged to have bailed out a terrorism suspect, the Palace official said media should do likewise when figures identified with the government are the subject of charges and innuendo. If an accuser fails to substantiate his claims, that omission should be highlighted in the news item, Saludo said, adding that the public could then better gauge the veracity of accusations, and the media would be true to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines code of ethics.

Saludo particularly cited the following commitments of the NUJP in its code of ethics:
I. I shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis. I recognize the duty to air the other side and the duty to correct substantive errors promptly.
VIII. I shall presume persons accused to be innocent until proven otherwise.

The Cabinet secretary also said that critics of the government, for their part, would serve truth and justice better if they bring their charges to court, rather than to Congress and media. In the latter venues, hearsay and baseless claims are often given free rein, and grandstanding poses obstacles to the sober presentation and consideration of findings, he added.

Saludo noted that over the past year, the opposition could have shown the quality of their evidence by using their "boxes" of material to sue officials implicated in the impeachment complaints. Those allegedly involved in "jueteng" payolas, anomalous contracts, rights abuses, and other offenses could have been charged, yet no such cases have been initiated, not even against a former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner accused of direct involvement in election fraud, he said.

"The Philippines is winning kudos here and abroad for our fiscal reforms and development agenda, and our people want the government to focus on accelerating progress and delivering vital services. The nation must not be distracted by baseless allegations that the opposition is not even willing to bring under the impartial scrutiny of the courts," he stressed.

Araw ng Siquijor opens with sportsfest, civil servants renews vow
By: Rizalie Calibo

The 35th celebration of the Araw ng Siquijor kicked off with a sports fest last week in Enrique Villanueva, this year’s host municipality.

The opening program was highlighted with a parade that drew the participation of local leaders, athletes and government employees all over the province.

The six equally beautiful ladies representing each town and who will be vying for the title “Miss Siquijor Tourism 2006” on the night of September 15 served as the center of attraction during the activity.

Coinciding with the opening program was the 106th celebration of the Philippine Civil Service. Government employees renewed their vows of commitment in public service during the activity.

Up for grabs and at stake are cash prizes for the different winners of the different ball games competition.

Man with marijuana arrested in Larena
By: Rizalie Calibo

The Larena Police arrested last week one Paulino Cabatingan of Sandugan, Larena for unlicensed driving and violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002.

The arrest was made during a checkpoint conducted in Brgy. Nonoc which was closely coordinated with the barangay council.

Cabatingan who was temporarily detained in Larena Police Station was reported to have been carrying with him one piece of half-consumed marijuana, which yielded positive result in a laboratory examination in Dumaguete City.

In a related incident, the Larena police headed by Police Inspector Enrique Belcina was commended recently for its spending performance exerted in their continuous “Oplan Banat” campaign.

The campaign which resulted to the arrest of one Jon Davy Uy and the confiscation of 3 small heat sealed plastic packs containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu; one (1)stainless magazine of caliber 45 pistol with seven (7)rounds of ammunitions; and one (1) LBP Check was made through the joint operation of Siquijor Police Provincial Office and the Larena Police Station.

Meanwhile, the fight against terrorism continues as the country’s security forces are on constant alert to protect the people, including foreign embassies, in light of the terror attack on a US Embasy in Syria.

A new warning of terror attacks from JI leaders outside the country serves as a reminder of the threat of reprisal bombings and attacks that will arise due to the Sulu offensive where some 6000 strong force is in the hunt for 200 ASG members.