Climate change a foregone conclusion,
environment experts warn
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
Scientific data has proven that the world is warming but there is no reason to “wallow in despair”, said Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Antonio Cabrido.
Cabrido, in a recent Kapihan forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency here, said that climate change has already occurred. “Theres still hope… let’s plant trees and lets do structural reform. How can you reform others if you don’t start it with yourself?” he stressed.
Cabrido was one of the guest panelists composed of Silliman University President Dr. Ben Malayang and PAGASA’s Chief Meteorological Officer in the province, Mr. Edsin Culi. The panel tackled the issue of climate change in line with the Environment Month observation this June.
In the forum, Culi disclosed that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has confirmed in its fourth assessment report released early this month that the changes in the atmosphere, the oceans and glaciers and ice caps “show unequivocally that the world is warming.
The said panel’s conclusion is based on observation of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global mean sea level.
Historical records likewise show that eleven of the last twelve years, from 1995 to 2006, rank among the 12 warmest years since 1850.
In the Philippines, climate change has already made itself known from the significant increases in the frequency of hot days and warm nights in the country from 1960 to 2003.
Cool days and cold nights have been noted to be generally decreasing, a trend that have also been observed in other countries in the Southeast Asia Pacific Region.
Climate change is alteration of some of the fundamental atmospheric chemistry and physics that changes the usual pattern that matter and energy have been distributed over wide areas of the planet, explained Dr. Malayang.
He lamented that people focus on climate change as an additional problem to humankind. “We tend to forget that climate change is really the result of how we behave towards the environment, a result of our irresponsibility and manner by which we consume goods in our society and how we have been uncaring, thinking that everything has no limits and we can just consumer as much as we could,” he said.
In the midst of the growing public concern over the damaging effects of climate change, DENR is drawing on current environmental laws to further its campaign for the environment.
Cabrido noted the various laws working for the welfare of the generation such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Bio Fuel Act.
Under RA 9637 or the Bio Fuel Act, Cabrido disclosed that DENR is setting aside one million hectares for jathropa plantation as part of the campaign to fight fossil fuels, which has so much carbon dioxide in it.
Aside from this, Cabrido said that DENR aims to produce 1.2 million seedlings throughout the region. “And we have produced 320,000 seedlings in Negros Oriental,” he said.
Also, through the eco-governance program, the Bayawan City government has made advances with its GIS system, showing realistic data that deals with the environment, soil and situation of the municipalities in the province. “This data will be used as reference for decision-making process,” said Cabrido.
Moreover, the country recently welcomed the 18 megawatt waste heat recovery power generation project developed by the Philippine Sinter Corporation (PSC) in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental which will supply power to its plant facility.
PSC is a stand-alone iron-ore sintering plant. The plant takes inputs of iron-ore, coal and limestone, and processes them ready for use in blast furnaces.
PSC President Shinichiro Yamana, on the other hand said its heat recovery power generation project is a fulfillment of PSC’s commitment to make contribution to the society by stabilizing power in the grid and to the most important mankind concern today of mitigating global warming.
This Project will enable the displacement of some of the power from the fossil fuel plant, thus contributing to a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gas from the Mindanao grid. The Mindanao grid is supplied by a number of fossil-fuel based power generation plants. (PIA/RMN)
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NFA’s IFAD benefits 12
farmers-cooperatives in NegOr
by: Rachelle Nessia
Some 12 farmers-cooperatives in the province were the recipients of the Institutionalized Farmers As Distributors (IFAD) of National Food Authority’s Rice Program with a total allocation of 9,747 bags.
IFAD is in line with Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) giving the farmers authority to undertake rice importation.
This would also generate added income for the farmers thereby uplifting their economic and social well-being, said Rolando Lazalita, NFA Information Officer here.
The approved accredited farmers-cooperatives are: Canlaon City Multi-Purpose Development Cooperative; Calambu-an Multi-Purpose Agricultural Cooperative; Guihulngan Multi-Purpose Agricultural Cooperative, Inc.; San Jose Multi-Purpose Agriculture Cooperative-Manjuyod; Bais Multi-Purpose Multi- Agricultural Cooperative; San Jose Multi-Purpose Agricultural Cooperative; Zamboanguita Multi-Purpose Agricultural Cooperative, Inc.; Amlan Multi-Purpose Agricultural Cooperative; Sta. Catalina Multi-Purpose Agricultural Cooperative, Inc.; Bayawan Multi-Purpose Agricultural Kilusang Bayan; Bayawan Community Cooperative; and Basay Veterans Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
NFA Provincial Manager Gil Ibarra encouraged the said farmers-cooperatives to continue selling their palay harvests so they can also avail of a bigger share of rice under the program.
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160 Tindahan Natin outlets
now in NegOr
by: Rachelle Nessia
June 21, 2007
A total of 160 Tindahan Natin outlets are now operating in different barangays in the province, providing underprivileged families with access to low-priced rice.
The National Food Authority (NFA) here in a statement reported that since January to May 31, 2007, a total of 42,218 bags of rice at 50 kg/bag or 2,260,900 kg have been distributed to the different Tindahan Natin operators in the three districts in the province.
Of the total, 17,284 bags have been provided to the 55 operators in District 1, 17,712 bags for the 63 operators in District 2 and 10,222 bags for the 42 operators in District 3.
On the other hand, six individual retailers from District 2 and four from District 3 have also been accredited by NFA to operate under the Handog Ng Parokya, Bilhing Abot-Kaya Project.
The said project is initiated by the Diocesan Parish Council of Dumaguete in collaboration with NFA here to provide parishioners and other constituents with affordable rice at P18 per kilogram.
Under the project, a total of 446 bags or 22,380 kilograms have been distributed from January to May 2007.
According to NFA Provincial Manager Gil B. Ibarra, the Tindahan Natin outlets are helping families living below the food threshold to access affordable rice priced at P18 per kilogram as part of the hunger mitigation program under the Arroyo administration.
Meanwhile, positive attitude, enthusiasm, and perseverance are the driving factors that made Domingo Mondragon, a "Tindahan Natin" outlet owner, Angel Narito, proprietor of Argie’s Bakery and Mini Grocery, and Rodolfa Tongco, a buy-and-sell agent, succeed in building their own businesses through the National Anti-Poverty Commission’s (NAPC) microfinance assistance.
NAPC’s officer-in-charge, Assistant Secretary Dolores de Quiros-Castillo, joined the three successful entrepreneurs share their success stories at "The PMS Forum: Cerge for Truth," hosted by Secretary and Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Director General Cerge M. Remonde.
Remonde said the successful ventures of these budding entrepreneurs were featured on national television in the hope that they will give inspiration to the audience and encourage more people to go into entrepreneurship. He added that NAPC serves as the frontline agency in the total work against poverty and hunger and is very much involved in the government’s microfinancing program.
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TeleTech grants 5M for Call Center Training
By Rizalie A. Calibo
June 21, 2007
SIQUIJOR -- The PGMA-Training for Work Scholarship Program (PGMA-TWSP), has beefed up its financial resources by five million (Php 5M) pesos through a substantial donation from a leading Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company and a pioneer in the call center business.
Secretary Augusto Boboy Syjuco, Director General of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), said the P5 million pesos donation for the scholarship grants was made by the TeleTech.,
Spread over a three-year period, TeleTech’s financial grant will benefit some 1,000 scholars from the areas of Batangas, Cebu , Negros Oriental, and Negros Occidental where TeleTech work stations are located.
Specifically, the TeleTech donation will finance TESDA’s program on enhancing English proficiency, a critical competency required of call center agents.
In addition to the scholarship grant, the grantees upon completion of training will also be given employment preference in TeleTech work stations.
The PGMA scholarship project provides training vouchers to qualified trainees in high demand skills. One such skill is that of call center agents and other BPO workers.
Applicants from Siquijor province will also be accommodated by the TeleTech Dumaguete through the Siquijor Training-Cum Employment Project (STEP), a program initiated by the local office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Siquijor Association of PESO (Public Employment Service Office) Managers and Technical Education Skills and Development Authority with strong support of the office of the Congressman and the provincial government of Siquijor.
DOLE Provincial Extension Officer Ma. Theresa Tanquiamco said STEP was conceived out of the fact that many of jobseekers from Siquijor lack the skills that most employers need. She said Telectech has been considering applicants from this province but that their poor English communication skills, low self-confidence and lack of technical skills hamper them from getting hired.
She said through STEP, scholars from all towns of the province can avail of a free training from the Teletech. She said the program is open to unlimited number of applicants for screening but is only less than a hundred trainees to go with the number of computers that Siquijor State College provides. Students with at least 2 years of college for part-time jobs; fresh college graduates; underemployed or unemployed people with at least two years in college, professionals seeking a second career can apply as long as they have basic computer knowledge. (RACaliboPIA)
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Siquijor set for Green Philippines
world record quest
After a series of meetings and coordination, Siquijor province is now ready for the nationwide simultaneous tree planting on June 29 this year.
About 25,000 seedlings of hardwood species (mahogany and langin) and furniture/firewood trees (aure) are set aside by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here for tree the planting activity to address continuous degradation of the environment and to fulfill the government’s vision of greening the country.
The 90-minute simultaneous tree planting also aims to qualify the Philippines in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of seedlings planted within one and a half hour.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is expected to grace the activity as guest speaker during an opening program at Fort Bonifacio, while in the local scene, Provincial Governor Orlando B. Fua will grace the affair.
The seedlings provided by DENR-Siquijor will be planted at Bintangan, Larena, Siquijor as identified by the DENR needing rehabilitation.
A series of coordination meeting were conducted by the concerned government agencies to finalize preparations and come up with a Memorandum of Agreement for the program. The municipality of Larena also calls for another meeting on June 22 to come up with a well-planned tree planting activity," Larena Municipal Mayor Gold L. Calibo says in his letter to the different schools and offices in the municipality.
“Basically, we are ready for the activity,” DENR Forester III/Planning Officer Jose Ando said as he calls for all government personnel and participants to come to the planting site before 8:00 o’clock in the morning.
The Philippine Army represented by the 704th Community Defense Center is the lead agency throughout the duration of the project in the province.
Earlier, DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes launched the "Trees for Life: 20 Million Seedlings for Planting Project" at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), last June 5, to restore the country's forest cover.
The project aims to plant 20 million trees all over the country during the period between July and November this year. The upcoming tree planting and the launching of the "Trees for Life" project are part of President Arroyo's Green Philippines Program that has been included in the government's eight point agenda dubbed 8 by '08. (PIA)
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DepEd, DENR’s plant-to-graduate
program continues
The school year has just started, yet, the Department of Education (DepED) with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the people’s organization is in motion to pursue “Gawad Kalikasan Plant to Graduate Program.”
DENR Coastal Marine Management Section Project in Charge, Ryd B. Bangis said they received positive results in last year’s pilot mangrove planting and that they are more eager to continue the program.
Last year’s implementation were in three municipalities; Talingting, Larena and Siquijor.
The “Plant to Graduate Program” focuses on the coastal Elementary and High School Institutions.
Bangis reported “that prior to the actual mangrove planting is a series of lectures for the participating graduating students which will tackle on the importance of mangroves and the correct way to plant mangrove seedlings and propagules”.
He stated that all graduating elementary and high school students need to participate in the said mangrove planting as one of the requirements to graduate.
The program is in line with the government’s effort to rehabilitate the environment which is one of the priority agenda of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
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