THE NEWS DATELINER

Authorities securing Mayon danger zones

By Mar S. Arguelles

LEGAZPI CITY -- Disaster authorities heightened security measures by setting up police and military check points in designated danger zones around Mayon volcano to ensure the safety of residents in case the volcano erupts.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) chairman at Sunday's council meeting, said the measure would prevent people to trek the volcano's surrounding, the 6-km Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) and the 7-km extended danger zone at the southeast quadrant of the volcano.
Salceda said “we have to enforce the off limits rule to prevent any untoward incidence that might occur once the volcano goes at an eruptive stage.”

“The rule will apply to all residents and visitors including media reporters covering the Mayon eruption event, reinforcing the long standing policy of a 'Zero Casualty' objective of the province in times of disasters," Salceda said.

Army Col. Marlou Salazar, commanding officer of the 901st Army Brigade here, said he has set up checkpoints in 12 villages surrounding the PDZs around the volcano covering Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan, Polangui towns and the cities of Ligao and Legazpi.

Salazar said the brigade has deployed a battalion of soldiers to man the checkpoints and maintain security in times of evacuation.

He also reported that 15 (6X6) Army trucks and several light vehicles are on stand by for dispatch when disaster authorities declares mass evacuation procedures. The trucks can load 30 people, Salazar said.

Aside from the check points, soldiers are also holding dialogues with village officials and residents concerning rescue and evacuation procedures in times of eruptions, he said.

Salceda said under Alert Level 3 disaster authorities will have to evacuate over 8,000 people or 1,785 families living near the 6-km PDZ and under Alert level 4 around 75,144 people or 15,243 families in 39 villages around the volcano have to be move to safer grounds.

As this developed, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Mayon's alert status remains at level 2, meaning the volcano is on a moderate stage of unrest.


Bicol tourism up despite GFC

By Bennie A. Recebido
PIA-Sorsogon

Despite the economic slowdown felt around the world today, this province is still doing well in tourism industry.

Data from the Department of Tourism (DoT) during the last quarter of 2008 has revealed a total number of 83,541 tourists, with a gross rate of 39 percent, visited the province, out of whom 71,570 are foreign and 11,971 are local tourists.

The DoT is still currently working out for statistics of tourists coming in to the province for the past two quarters of 2009 which they have initially assessed as still increasing.

Kinatawan Francisco Ravanilla, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Tourism chair, said the global financial crisis can be a challenge toward creative ways of marketing Sorsogon's tourism industry.

Citing the whaleshark in Donsol, the prime tourist attraction in the province, Ravanilla said that it has consistently attracting local and foreign tourists since the town was officially declared as "The Whaleshark Capital of the World" in 1998.

"Aside from Donsol's whaleshark, other eco-tourism destinations in the province also promise better opportunities for investment and economic development as well as job generation among the locals," he said.

Among the other attractions he enumerated were the mangrove forest in Pto. Diaz town, Bulusan Lake in Bulusan, also situated at the foot of Bulusan Volcano, the natural hot springs in Irosin and the white-sand beaches in Gubat town and in Bacon District in Sorsogon City.

It can be noted that the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAs) has identified Sorsogon as a "major hit" among the foreign tourists and has mapped out plans for the tourism industry of the province and the current economic crunch.

NAITAs is the largest group of travel agencies working together to come up with attractive tourism package. (PIA Sorsogon)

Farm, fishery sector RPs top job creator

LEGAZPI CITY - Almost half a million jobs were generated from the farm and fishery sector this year, making it the top job generator for the first quarter of 2009, according to Presidential Economic Adviser and Albay Governor Joey Salceda.

Salceda on Tuesday said that based on data of the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics, employment in the farm and fisheries sector as of April 2009 was estimated at 12.318 million, which is higher by 3.47 percent compared to 11.905 million for the same period last year.

"Philippine agriculture created more jobs than the trade sector, which only ranked second with 345,000 jobs," he added.

He said "this proves that the Arroyo government's decision to reverse 30 years of official neglect of the agriculture sector through sustained, higher public investments is now reaping positive results."

The government has also increased spending for agriculture, focusing on irrigation and other rural infrastructure which already yielded positive results with the increased of palay rice production by 5.1 percent or double its average growth a year ago.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has also fast tracked rehabilitation and restoration work of irrigation system that has allowed farmers to plant an additional 69,000 hectares of farmland or 5.7 percent more than last year.

The administration of President Arroyo has increased spending on agriculture, P25.36 billion in 2007, P35.39 billion in 2008 and P46.86 billion this year.

Salceda further recommended to the government to pour more "stimulus funds" into the country's agriculture, particularly into irrigation, to sustain the sector's resilience and its status as a primary growth driver even in the midst of a global financial contagion.

"Without the agriculture growth contribution, GDP [gross domestic product] would have been sub-zero. Despite the obvious odds, its 2.1-percent increase in gross value added may not be stellar but it was the highest among the sectors which best proves the logic of government budgetary stimulus, specifically to the Department of Agriculture,'' he said.

He added that the Department of Agriculture's policies in the last two years have enabled the agriculture sector, which accounts for 20 percent of the economy, to remain resilient while every other sector had gone into a slump.

From 2001, the start of the Arroyo presidency, to the present, the government was able to generate a total of 8.95 million jobs in the private sector and at least 12 million jobs were created through government projects, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). (PIA V Release)


Funds out to speed up land acquisition for new Airport

LEGAZPI CITY - The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) has transferred to the Albay Provincial Government P85 million to pay for the 140-hectare prime land straddling the areas of Daraga and Camalig town to be developed for the Bicol International Airport .

DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza recently turned-over to Albay Governor Joey Salceda the funds for the purchase of the new airport site.

DOTC officials and Albay local officials, including Camalig mayor Irwin Baldo and Daraga mayor Cicero Triumfante, and officials of the five barangays on the actual site of the proposed airport witnessed the turn-over ceremony.

Mendoza said construction works on the proposed airport are expected to start shortly and set its completion within 30 months or two and a half years.

Salceda conceptualized the idea of the Bicol International Airport and has since pursuing the construction of the new airport in Albay province to fast track and catapult the region's economic development.

He said the proposed airport and its facilities will answer the need for a modern airport in Southern Luzon that will cater to more business activities in the area and conveniently links Bicol to the rest of the country and the world.

He added the air transport facility would further improve the performance of the region in tourism arrivals, employment generation and business investment.

The Bicol International Airport easily qualifies as among the biggest and most ambitious government projects in the Bicol Region to date, with prospects of even greater returns on investment. (MALoterte, PIA V)

PhilHealth targets universal coverage in Bicol by October

LEGAZPI CITY— The remaining months in office of President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo will be devoted to education, peace talks and call for civic duty, according to Albay Governor Joey Salceda.

Salceda, who is also a senior economic adviser of the President, said the Arroyo administration will focus on upgrading the educational system in the country, including the hiring of additional teachers, construction of more classrooms and other school facilities.

“We can expect the administration to pour in more money on education and pursue the establishment of regional universities based on the recommendation for Philippine Main Education Highway,” he noted.

He said the administration is also determined to reopen and pursue peace negotiations with the National Democratic Fronts (NDF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Fronts (MILF).

“Talk is cheap… but in the peace process, talk is very critical. So, this is the only instance where talk is not cheap. At least in talking, it will put us back in the peace process,” he stressed.

Salceda further said the President will encourage more involvement from the civic society to share the burden of nationhood, especially a call for civic duty among the youth.

“Such may be the main theme of the upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the President on July 27,” he averred.

As to the achievements of the President in 2008 alone, Salceda said he gave President Arroyo a passing grade of 92 percent for handling very well the national economy, adding that she was able to overcome all crises, especially the economic slowdown.

“We are one of only nine countries that did not contract, we were still able to produce a lot more jobs,” he stressed.

“Also in 2008, the Arroyo administration devoted more on social welfare programs and services in response to fuel crisis, food, crisis, financial crisis, and then later the global economic crisis,” he added.

Salceda further stated “as far as her performance from 2001 to 2009 is concerned I will give her 82 percent and my basis was the target goal set by the President herself.”

He said President Arroyo had set her own goal for the country, wherein she was somehow able to achieve a balanced budget, automated election, and developing Subic and Clark into a world class and revenue generating economic zones.

“On education, decentralization, peace process, healing the wounds of EDSA, water and electricity, job generation, and decongestion of Manila, “all these are conditional, which means the administration needs more efforts to achieve these goals,” he averred.

He, however, noted that the administration has achieved 70 percent of the 1 million jobs target per year, wherein each year at least 700,000 jobs were generated; much has also been done to keep the prices of water and electricity stable; more infrastructure projects were completed and some are underway for Metro Manila.

In President Arroyo’s almost nine years in office, she has accomplished the much needed fiscal reforms of the government, including the P300 million additional revenues from the R-VAT, the EPIRA Law which opens the power sector from monopoly and oligarchy, and strengthening of the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) especially in Subic and Clark economic zones.

Salceda stressed the present administration has solid achievement in terms of pursuing its goal in setting the thrust “BEAT THE ODDS” in consonance with the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) 2004-2010,

“The President wants to leave a legacy of a strong economy that works for the poor, secures peace, invest in the future—basically on education, and a lot more about on education reforms,” he concluded. (With reports from Marlon A. Loterte, PIA V)

Nutricomnet-DOST holds cookfest on malunggay recipes

LEGAZPI CITY - The Nutrition Communication Network (NUTRICOMNET), in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Bicol and the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), spearheads the Malunggay Recipes Regional Cookfest on Thursday (July 23) at the LCC Event Center here.

The cooking contest highlights the celebrations of the National Nutrition Month this July and the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) on this third week of the same month.

Elementary pupils, who qualified from 13 school divisions-six provinces and seven cities in the region, are expected to participate in this regional competition.

Malunggay recipes featured in this competition will be developed and printed into pamphlets and brochures to be distributed to nutritionally-depressed barangays in the region.

Winning entries could also have potentials for technology adoption either for home or school use or enterprise development.

Based on the guidelines of the contest, all contestants are required to submit a certification of enrolment for the present school year from the school principal. There will only be one contestant per division.

Contestants are required to bring their own contest supplies, materials, ingredients, tools and equipment. They should be at the venue 20 minutes before the contest in their official school uniform with ID. Only the contestants, board of judges and contest administrators are allowed inside the cookfest area.

The recipe to be prepared either original or an innovation of an existing recipe is for a snack - easy to prepare, low cost, nutritious and can be sold in school canteens. It should yield 10 servings with nutrition contribution of 200 calories for the snack and two tablespoons powder for the drink.

The name of the recipe, its general description and process flow should be printed in a whole cartolina with black print to be displayed in a designated area. A copy of the entire recipe is required to be submitted at 1:00 p.m., July 23, 2009 before the contest proper to the NUTRICOMNET Secretariat.

This must consist of the ingredients, procedure, estimated total nutrient content, number of servings, total preparation/cooking time, estimated total cost based on prevailing supermarket price in Legazpi City , and estimated cost per serving. Props are not allowed during the presentation of the finished product.

Criteria in the selection of the regional winners consist of the following: Nutritive Value - 30%; Cost of Recipe per serving - 20%; Time of Preparation - 10%; Neatness and Orderliness - 10%; Proper Use of Utensils/Tools/Implements - 10%; Appearance of Food - 10%; and Palatability - 10%, a total of 100%. Major cash and consolation prizes, and plaques/certificates await the winners and non-winners, and their coaches. Judging in this contest is final and irrevocable.

NUTRICOMNET's full support and participation in this regional endeavor will go a long way in its efforts to improve the nutritional status of schoolchildren in the region.

Contestants are advised to contact NUTRICOMNET through Ms. Shirley B. Borja, Chair, Core Group at DepEd Region V (821-1143) or Dr. Pilita O. Lucena, DOST V at (052) 821-7930 for any other details regarding this contest. (POLucena, DOST V/PIA)

Pagasa calls for year round disaster preparedness

LEGAZPI CITY - The country might be visited by 15 more typhoons in the remaining months of this year, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said here Sunday.

But Nathaniel Cruz, Pagasa acting deputy administrator for operation and services, said in a lecture-forum here that "it is not only typhoons that call for preparedness but also other hydro-meteorological hazards such as heavy and continuous rains, thunderstorms, cold fronts, easterly waves, intertropical convergent zones, and tropical cyclones."

"The Bicol region, particularly Albay province which is very prone to these weather disasters, including Mayon volcano's lahar, has put all preparedness measures in place, especially during floods and landslides that also occur amid mere heavy and continuous rains," Governor Joey Salceda told reporters during the open forum.

Warnings
Bicol, which is closely similar to Batanes Islands when it comes to typhoons, needs to prepare not only during the typhoon season but also on a 365-day-a-year basis, according to Cruz.

"When there is typhoon, however, the people of Albay are no longer afraid because they have been trained to prepare themselves on the basis of the preemptive measures."

Although Mayon volcano is not posing any possible eruptive threat, Landrico Dalida Jr., assistant weather services chief of the Pagasa central office, warned Albayanos that the province is host to cloud formations that bring rains even without warnings.

"Warnings are there in the events of typhoons but during rains, it is the built-in initiative of the people of Albay that guide them against these hazards," Dalida said.

Salceda said the installation of the modern Doppler Radar System was on the way. The Doppler Radar to be installed in Catanduanes and Camarines Norte will form part of the upgrading of the Legazpi Weather Station into the Southern Luzon Weather Bureau.

The Doppler Radar System is financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, said Salceda.