Iloilo City News March 2012

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Iloilo City - Archived News

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.
Iloilo-aerial.jpg
Aerial View of Iloilo City

Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Feature: Farm youth find farming profitable

By Elsa S. Subong (RDA/OCA/ESS/JCM/PIA-Iloilo)

While the country’s farmers are greying (average age is 57) and poor (P27,000 annual income)*, the Iloilo city government has found a way to encourage the youth to go into farming.

Through its vegetable farming project, the Office of the City Agriculturist (OCA) provides training, funds and technical assistance to the youth who are members of a barangay organization called the 4-H Club.

“My income from growing vegetables is more than enough for my personal needs, so I shared part of it to my sister for her graduation expenses,” said 4-H member Joemart Sasa, 20, in the dialect.

The Barangay Lanit 4-H Club is an organization of farm youths aged 15-30 years old in or out of school. The club aims to develop “the head, the heart, the hands and health of the person.” Now with 29 members, it was organized 1994 when personnel of the DA were devolved into the local government unit.

Four members of the 4-H club qualified for the Vegetable Gardening Project, which was launched in December 2010. Each beneficiary received P10,000 as seed capital from the ATI on the condition that the loaned amount will be repaid after harvest.

“The project was intended for the youth members of the 4-H Club as part of the youth development program of the OCA,” said Iloilo City Agriculturist Renato C. Madrilejo.

Madrilejo said the youth farmers are visited regularly and provided with technical assistance by a farm youth development program coordinator (FYDPC).

“We see to it that the youth members become productive, so we thought of vegetable gardening as an approach to achieve it,” FYDP Coordinator Georgia Lapastora said.

Thus, equipped with capital, knowledge and skills in farming—land preparation, planting, watering and nurturing their vegetable garden—the beneficiaries were able to harvest and market their produce in two to three months, said Madrilejo.

Another beneficiary, Julian Dionio, 25, is a son of a farmer from Barangay Lanit, in Jaro, and a member of the 4-H Club.

Jobless only three months ago (at best, he would be in and out of job as a construction worker), he is now P10,000 richer from the sale of green onions he harvested from his vegetable garden.

Another beneficiary, third year high school student Speed Jasmin, 15, said, “I only wanted to have a source of income for myself while studying to ease the burden of my family. Now I have enough money for my needs in school.”

The first batch of beneficiaries are now into their third cropping, expanding to other vegetables like pechay, tomatoes, and lettuce using their initial incomes.

The next five beneficiaries will venture into the project for the third cropping using the seed money returned by the first batch, in a roll-over scheme, to ensure that other 4-H club members will have an opportunity to avail of the project.

Meanwhile, Julian, now the president of the 4-H Club Federation of Iloilo City, said he saw much hope for the farm youth to be more productive with sustaining efforts in vegetable gardening.

He added that more than the money they earn, they have learned to be more industrious, hard-working and dedicated; and that “what they sow, they reap.”

  • Ernesto M. Ordoñez, "A useful agri-fisheries vision for 2025," Philippine Daily Inquirer, 11 Oct 2011

DOST to install more water level sensors in WV

By Jaime S. Cabag, Jr.(JCM/JSC/PIA6)

ILOILO CITY, March 9 (PIA6) -- The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will install three (3) more automated water level sensors (AWLS) in Western Visayas, particularly in the Tigum-Aganan River System in Iloilo.

The additional units will be installed in the towns of Alimodian, San Miguel and Sta. Barbara, said DOST Regional Director Engr. Rowen Gelonga.

This is part of the agency’s weather monitoring system project to assist in disaster risk reduction program of the government, Gelogna said. Apart from these areas, the DOST is set to install additional AWLS in the towns of Maasin and Pavia and Jaro, Iloilo City this quarter.

The AWLS are designed to help weather forecasters in tracking river water levels and potential floods.

One-half of the cost of equipment was funded by the DOST while the other half was funded by Smart Communications as a public-private partnership project with DOST and local government units, said Gelonga during the recent first quarterly meeting of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC).

The DOST has already installed Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG) in Aklan (2 AWS and 1 ARG), Antique (1 ARG), Capiz (1 ARG), Guimaras (1 AWS and 1 ARG), Iloilo (4 AWS and 3 ARG), and Negros Occ. (5 AWS and 3 ARG) as part of their weather monitoring system project in the region.

Gelonga said the three different kinds of equipment are designed to empower local government units in disaster risk reduction and mitigation by providing them with real-time information on weather conditions and river water levels in their respective localities.

The AWS are monitoring stations equipped with different sensors capable of measuring wind speed and direction, air temperature, humidity and pressure, and rainfall amount, duration and intensity.

On the other hand, ARGs have been developed to gather and record the amount of rainfall over a set period of time and selected ARGs are capable of measuring air pressure.

Community college approved for June opening

By Lydia C. Pendon

THE City Council unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday approving the school opening of the government-owned Iloilo City Community College (ICCC) in June 2012 even without a confirmation from the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).

Councilor Plaridel Nava, chair of the council’s committee on education, said that under the local government code, the moratorium established by Ched on the creation of new colleges and universities can never be applied to a local government unit (LGU).

Plaridel said they are supporting and adopting the position of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog to open the college to the first batch of 300 poor but deserving city high school graduates as City Government scholars to take up baccalaureate courses on Bachelor of Travel Management and Bachelor of Office Management as initial offered courses.

The councilor maintained that Ched has no jurisdiction over the government-run college as long as the LGU meets minimum requirement of Ched.

Nava told the council that there are existing 21 colleges and universities in the country and foremost are the University of Makati and Marikina which do not have confirmation from Ched.

The University of Makati is operated by the Makati City Government for the past 40 years without Ched accreditation but empowered by a city ordinance mandated by the local government code.

Nava said the ICCC is applying for membership with the Association of Local Colleges and Universities and University of Makati president Tom Lopez will help in the membership application. Lopez is also willing to join and help the ICCC Board of Trustees.

Mabilog has appointed the ICCC Board of Trustees composed of Prof. Mary Anne Gumban, Dr. Erlinda Gencaya, businessman Joel Adrias, former city councilor Erlinda Liberiaga and Nava, with Catalina Sanico as college dean.

Iloilo, USAID Now Development Partners

By TARA YAP

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has chosen Iloilo as a partner in its Cities Development Initiative (CDI) program.

“Iloilo City has been selected because it demonstrates economic potential,” said Gloria Steele, USAID Mission Director for the Philippines.

The CDI is a five-year program under the U.S.-Philippines Partnership for Growth signed last November 2011 during the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

It is designed to find solutions on constraints of economic growth and development in Iloilo City through partnership between USAID, the city government, business sector, civil society, and the academe.

The CDI will also tackle issues including lack of stable electric power and water supply, poor health facilities, and improving the conduciveness of doing business.

The program works on the premise that economic growth and employment opportunities are parallel with urban development.

Steele explained that once Iloilo City’s economic potentials are harnessed, it will pave the way for the eventual development of nearby areas and is expected to grow “the way Metro Manila has grown.”

Steele added that USAID Philippines applauds the commitment of Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog in promoting good governance as well as attracting investors.

“It takes a strong partnership between the public and private sectors to work towards long-term and inclusive development,” Steele said.

US Sailors Enjoy Iloilo Visit

By TARA YAP

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo – United States Navy sailors visiting Iloilo for the first time expressed enthusiasm about their initial impressions of the city.

“The people of Iloilo are very friendly; it was overwhelming,” enthused USS Chafee commanding office, Cmdr. Justin Kubu.

The missile guided destroyer dropped anchor off the coast of Iloilo for a few days as part of the US Embassy-organized “America in 3D: A Road Show in Diplomacy, Development and Defense.”

At least 80 American sailors went on shore to mainland Iloilo, participating in community outreach programs including mangrove planting and painting of classrooms.

Other sailors conducted basketball and soccer clinics at the Central Philippine University (CPU) in Jaro.

A special tour on board the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Chafee which is deployed in the Asia-Pacific, saw invited guests including local government officials, government workers, Iloilo entrepreneurs, teachers, students, and civic leaders.

The USS Chafee has a crew of some 300 sailors, 30 of which are Filipino-Americans.

Kubu expressed high praises for said Filipino-Americans serving on board the US naval ship, saying “they are hardworking individuals integral to the ship’s operation.”

The naval ship is named after the late Sen. John Chafee, who served as Secretary of the US Navy during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

Iloilo government officials, meanwhile, say that aforesaid “America in 3D” show held in Iloilo City last March 2 to 4 certainly helped in the strengthening of ties between the Philippines and the United States.

Iloilo Lauds Stronger US-Phl Ties

(Manila Bulletin Article)

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo — A three-day road show organized by the United States Embassy named America in 3D which was held March 2 to 4 in this city was a manifestation of stronger Filipino-American relationship in the province and city of Iloilo, said Iloilo officials.

For his part, for instance, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr., said the show “further strengthened our friendship as the US continues to be our partners in advancing Iloilo’s development and progress.”

The road show which underlined diplomacy, development and defense themes, showcased American culture as well as tips on securing a visa to the U.S., as well as business and educational opportunities in the U.S. for Filipinos.

“ America in 3D brought the US Embassy closer to the Ilonggo community, showing us the value of brotherhood and friendship,” said Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

According to Mabilog, American influence is very strong in Iloilo.

“We have an American community here. Iloilo hosts an American Cemetery and Americans were also responsible for constructing in Iloilo the only passenger and freight railway system outside of Manila,” Mabilog added.

America in 3D put up exhibits at SM City Iloilo, a basketball and soccer clinic at the Central Philippine University (CPU), and a tour of the American naval ship, USS Chafee.

US Deputy Chief of Mission Leslie Bassett and other American diplomats participated in outreach activities including mangrove planting at Sooc village in Arevalo district and painting classrooms at Esteban Juntado Sr. Memorial Elementary School in Calumpang village of Molo district.

Iloilo is the fourth Philippine city where the US Embassy brought the America in 3D show launched in 2011 by U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, Harry Thomas Jr. Previously, it was brought to Quezon City, Baguio and Cebu.

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