Romblon Province News March 2012

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Romblon Realty

Philippine News

ENRO acquires Charcoal Briquetting Equipment for Tablas Island

by (PG-ENRO/DM/PIA-IVB/Romblon)


ODIONGAN, Romblon, March 31 (PIA) -- The Provincial Government-Environment & Natural Resources Office (PG-ENRO) adopted and acquired a locally developed Charcoal Briquetting Technology Project intended for Tablas Island, Romblon.

The briquetting technology serves as a substitute for the production of traditional charcoal available in the market. It will put biomass and agroforestry wastes into good use and will also help mitigate carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere and lessen the cutting of trees from the island’s woodlands.

Based on research, for every ton of briquettes produced, about 88 trees are conserved.

The Charcoal Briquetting equipment acquired by this office is composed of 10 ports briquettor, two-way electric mixer, electric grinding machine, drying rack, metal drum carbonizer and other accessories.

It was locally developed by Mirlobin V. Gaa of COAL@RAVA ULING located at Calatrava, Romblon. These charcoal briquettes are characterized by its being smokeless, soot less, odorless, and solid heat.

Said equipment were funded under ADP 2011 through the effort of PGDH ENRO Raynaldo Angel M. De Juan, EMS II Raymund G. Inocencio and EMS I Daisy F. Familaran .






Romblon to get P8M for pawikan conservation projects

by (LBR/ Dinnes Manzo/PG-ENRO/PIA-IVB/Romblon)


ODIONGAN, Romblon, March 27 (PIA) -- About P8 million worth of projects will be awarded by the Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project (ICRMP) to project proponents, who will be able to propose projects and activities that will address the declining population of pawikan (sea turtles) locally and globally.

According to Etienne Baijot, team leader - ICRMP Project Management Consultant, the province has been tapped as the national pilot area for the Pawikan Conservation Project.

Baijot made the announcement after his visit last year in the Pawikan Hatchery Project located at Bunsoran, Ferrol, who also personally witnessed the ceremonial release of one green sea turtle in San Andres.

The said hatchery project was initiated by the Provincial Government- Environment & Natural Resources Office, headed by PGDH ENRO Raynaldo Angel M. De Juan, EMS II Raymund G. Inocencio and EMS I Daisy F. Familaran.

The project, anchored on the Philippine National Development (PDP) Framework on Biodiversity, not only aims to protect and conserve the sea turtle population in the area , but also provide opportunities to the local communities, through the promotion of eco-tourism and income-generating activities.

Taking Manila out of Manila

by Antonio Montalvan II

Philippine Daily Inquirer


Forthcoming this May is the country’s celebration of National Heritage Month. What’s that? With a surfeit of national this-or-that month, few are able to distinguish one from the other, like the National Fire Prevention Month or the National Arbor Week. What happens is unintended obscurantism that defeats the purpose of achieving public focus. Not many people know that there exists a government agency named the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). A few years ago, it was being debated in the corridors of power whether or not a Department of Culture should be established. Culture used to be lumped with sports in the erstwhile DECS—Department of Education, Culture and Sports. Today we have the NCCA, the country’s de facto Department of Culture. Its mandate is to serve as the “overall policymaking body, coordinating and grants-giving body for the preservation, development and promotion of Philippine arts and culture.” Within its umbrella are the country’s premier cultural institutions. Let me enumerate them in their full official nomenclatures: National Library of the Philippines, National Museum of the Philippines, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Archives of the Philippines, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Among the NCCA’s flagship events each year is the National Heritage Month, a monthlong celebration of events, exhibits and conferences which are undertaken pursuant to Proclamation No. 439 signed on Aug. 11, 2003. The declaration’s raison d’etre is “the need to create among the people a consciousness, respect and pride for the legacies of Filipino cultural history, and love of country.” May is a busy month for many communities. It is the month of fiestas in Bohol, which is said to “sink” a few inches each May under the weight of Boholanos coming home from their worldwide diaspora. For the Tagalogs, May is for Santacruzan, however “showbizzy” it has become. Elsewhere are pockets of Flores de Mayo tableaus, even in the most remote barangay chapels in Mindanao. But how does one bring the heritage of Filipino arts and culture to the national consciousness? Surely the old panacea of staging a Manila-based event in the hope that it will trickle down into the consciousness of the people in the rest of the islands may not be the solution to make a national impact. Last year, the NCCA introduced a new “ingredient” to make National Heritage Month popular—put in a television celebrity for instant recall. And so Ogie Alcasid was named NCCA heritage ambassador to achieve mass-wide appeal. Add Venus Raj to the bevy of sagalas and then you have stiff competition with popular mass media. The pressing need is to move not just the focus but also the NCCA machinery away from Manila. The unique structure of the NCCA actually ensures that. One of the NCCA’s lesser known attributes is that it is one of the few government agencies, if not the only one, that allow private sector participation. Cultural workers and artists from all parts of the Philippines head its four “subcommissions”: arts, cultural heritage, cultural dissemination, and cultural communities and traditional arts. This unique structure fosters a dynamic collaboration with cultural and artistic experts and workers, allowing for an engaged implementation of the NCCA’s mandate. The brainchild of NCCA’s commissioner for cultural heritage, the noted scholar Regalado Trota Jose of the UST Archives, hopes to bring the NCCA machinery for its National Heritage Month to a not-so-known province that receives scant attention from the “center” that is Manila. Romblon fits that description well. It is a small province, a cluster of about 20 islands, some of which can be considered remote. Romblon is known for marble, much of which ends up as “lapidas”—gravestones in better forgotten cemeteries. Yet Romblon is richly diverse in cultural heritage. It has a 17th-century stone cathedral, a Hispanic-era fort, a sprinkling of ethnolinguistic groups (have you heard of Bantoanon, Odionganon, Rombloanon?), and an island known as Banton, the source of the oldest woven textile now in the possession of the National Museum of the Philippines. Thus, this year’s National Heritage Month will officially open in the town of Romblon, the provincial capital of the island of the same name, where it is located. The trip itself to the island province will not be a breeze for cultural workers, artists and NCCA officials. Take one of the thrice-a-week flights to the only airport in Odiongan town on the island of Tablas, proceed by land to a wharf on the other side of the island, then cross the sea to reach the capital town. There, on May 2, will be the national festivity to officially open the 2012 National Heritage Month of the Philippines. It will not just be rite and ritual. The NCCA will bring its various working committees under its cultural heritage subcommission to hold clinics, conduct consultations with local cultural stakeholders, and determine what needs special attention from NCCA-affiliated cultural agencies. It is a unique way of bringing NCCA’s weight to one of the country’s remote frontiers. The point is not just showcase but also convergence away from Manila. The framework has already elicited early suggestions to bring next year’s celebration to hardly noticed places such as Catanduanes or Capul Island in Northern Samar. A nation of islands we shall forever be. The constant challenge is surmounting insularism. The NCCA has taken the dare. Let it be an example for good governance.






ENRO sets 105 Pawikan hatchlings free in Odiongan beaches

by (contributed by EMS II Raymund G. Inocencio-ENRO/PIA4B Romblon)


ODIONGAN, Romblon, March 23 (PIA) – The environment bureau in Romblon has set Pawikan hatchlings free on the beaches of Romblon.

Engr. Raynaldo Angel M. De Juan head of the provincial government of Romblon-Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) led the release of 105 Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) hatchlings in the beach of Sitio Marigold, Budiong, Odiongan, Romblon on March 21.

This is in support of the marine turtle conservation project of the province with the participation of the Municipal LGU of Odiongan represented by Vice Mayor Brecio D. Fajutnao, Jr. and MAO Martin S. Lasaga III; Romblon State University- Research, Extension, Production & Publication (REPP) headed by Dr. Merian C. Mani and nearby residents of this barangay.

Eleseo F. Castillo, the resident who have found the 140 sea turtle eggs in a nesting area on January 25, said that he decided to transfer these turtle eggs to a safer part of the beach where sea water won’t damage its fertility.

Less than two months after, on March 20, 105 eggs hatched successfully out of 140 eggs that were kept in the small hatchery. Each hatchling measures 3.5 cm width x 4.5 cm length. This species is known to be the smallest sea turtle and classified as endangered marine reptile found in the country.

112 diarrhea cases reported in Romblon

by /INQUIRER


Iloilo City — Police have raised an alert about a criminal group using fake peso bills after nine alleged gang members were arrested in a series of operations in Boracay and Caticlan over the weekend. The nine suspects, mostly from Iloilo and Negros Occidental, were arrested in three operations by the Boracay and Malay police from the evening of March 16 until the next morning. All the suspects were detained at the Malay police station and would face various criminal charges including violation of Articles 164 (Mutilation of Coins) and 168 (Possession of Fake/Counterfeit Money) of the Revised Penal Code. Senior Supt. Cornelio Defensor, Aklan police director said seized from the suspects were “around P92,000 in fake and genuine money.” The peso bills will be examined by Central Bank representatives to determine which are fake and genuine. Several of the confiscated peso bills had the same serial numbers, according to the police report. The Central Bank representatives would also file charges against the suspects, Defensor said. Three other members of the group were believed to have eluded arrest and were being hunted. Defensor said charges would be filed against the suspects with the Aklan provincial prosecutor’s office Tuesday. He said the suspects were believed to be part of a syndicate operating in Western Visayas and Mindoro and Romblon Islands. Investigators were still determining the source and manufacturer of the fake peso bills. He said the group members, who arrived in Boracay on March 16, could be anticipating the influx of tourists on the island for the summer vacation.

112 diarrhea cases reported in Romblon

by Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca


THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) recorded 112 cases of diarrhea in six villages of San Fernando, Romblon.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) officer-in-charge Undersecretary Proceso T. Domingo said that the latest update issued by NDRRMC showed that San Fernando is currently experiencing a number of diarrhea cases in Bgys. Taclobo, Poblacion, Campaliongo, Panangkalan, Pili and Azarga.

Domingo said 74 diarrhea cases were reported at the RHU from March 5 to 12 this year and 38 patients were admitted in Sibuyan District Hospital on the same day.

As of press time, Domingo said five patients were still admitted in Sibuyan District Hospital. He said 79 cases were those with ages 1-5, 19 (babies or less than one year old), eight (6-10), three cases each (11-15) and the rest 46-51 years old.

The local government is continuously monitoring the situation, readying emergency medicines and supplies to avoid possible outbreak.

Diarrhea hits 112 residents in Romblon town

by ABS-CBNnews.com


MANILA, Philippines – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday said cases of diarrhea in San Fernando town, Romblon have reached 112.

NDRRMC said the Regional Health Unit has attended to 74 patients from March 5 to 12. Sibuyan District Hospital, on the other hand, admitted 38 patients, 5 of whom remain confined.

The cause of the diarrhea outbreak has yet to be determined.

The patients were from barangays Taclobo, Poblacion, Campaliongo, Panangkalan, Pili and Azagra.

Most of the patients were children aged 1 to 5 (79). Nineteen (19) of the patients were under 1-year-old.

The rest of patients were aged 11 to 15 (3); and 46 to 61 (3).

NDRRMC said the region’s Center for Health Development continues to monitor the situation. Medicines and other supplies have been prepared.

NPAs killed in encounter with troopers

by bworldonline.com


FOUR NEW People’s Army (NPA) members, including a top head perished after an encounter with military troops in Nueva Ecija on Thursday night. A group of NPA, remnants in the insurgency free provinces of Nueva Ecija and Aurora, fired at members of the 81st Infantry Battalion (81IB) under 1st Lt. Saturnino Enofre in a five-minute crossfire at Sitio Tamale, Brgy Digmala, in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija last March 8 at around 9 p.m., according to a military press release.

Among those killed was Benjamin Peralta also known as Gani, Otoy, Onil, and more commonly called as “secretary.” He is the highest ranking leader in terms of maintaining the ideological capacity of the NPA group.

Another rebel who died in the encounter was a certain alias Sara.

The troops recovered several items including one M16 rifle, one Carbine rifle, one caliber .45 pistol, two improvised explosive devices, two fragmentation grenades, food stuffs, assorted medicines and documents with high intelligence value at the site.

Further patrol has been initiated in the area.

Coordination with local government units and agencies have been conducted to identify the two remaining NPA rebels who were also killed in the encounter.

“While it is a big blow to the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA movement, it is unfortunate that our fellow Filipinos have to die in their senseless struggle, said commanding officer of the 81IB Lt. Col. Orlando M. Suarez in a statement. The government would welcome the surrender of the few remaining NPA guerillas in the province, he added.

Last month, the 7ID’s 48th Infantry Battalion encounter the same NPA remnant unit which resulted to the death of Antonio Layco alias Berto and Remy Huego alias Russel. Berto is the highest ranking leader in terms of running the armed component of the remnant NPA unit. Russel was second in command.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines as of last year has declared 24 provinces free from insurgency. This include: include: Aklan, Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Biliran, Cebu, Bohol, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Cavite, Marinduque, Romblon, Guimaras, Siquijor, Northern and Southern Leyte, aside from Nueva Ecija and Aurora.

NPC sets P15.7-B SPUG investment

by MYRNA M. VELASCO


MANILA, Philippines — State-run National Power Corporation (NPC) will roll out investments of P15.56 billion in the next 10 years for the electricity connection of its Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) areas.

In a press briefing, NPC president Froilan A. Tampinco noted that the programmed ventures will cover both transmission and power generation facilities, which have been integrated in the company’s 10-year Missionary Electrification Development Program.

The power firm will spend P6.06 billion, mainly for the transmission facilities of the identified three key SPUG areas in Palawan, Mindoro and Romblon; while P9.5 billion will be coughed up for the installation of generation facilities nationwide to service the island-grids’ electricity requirements.

“These are the things we are focusing on, so our role as transmission provider and operator will be met… we are vertically-integrated in the sense that we do transmission and generation, but we are not in distribution,” he explained.

When the power assets of the company had been divested by its successor-firm Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) , NPC’s residual function was mainly confined to the electrification of SPUG areas plus the remaining operation and maintenance (O&M) function it assumed for the ‘un-privatized’ power plants.

Since NPC is already prevented by existing policies to procure new loans, the investment program slated for the SPUG areas has been factored in as part of the company’s cost recoveries to be filed under the universal charge for missionary electrification (UCME).

Company officials emphasized that other cost components, such as operating costs are not yet included in the estimated investment outlay.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERCs) prescribes the rules for the application of UCME cost recoveries, including true-up adjustments which may be recouped on a yearly basis.

At present, the power firm noted that it has remaining P4.0 billion worth of UCME recoveries due for filing soon. This will translate to P0.06 per kilowatt hour (kWh) adjustment in the UCME it has been billing to customers in the SPUG areas.

The three priority island-grids being energized by NPC right now are still part of the 14 ‘first wave areas’ identified by the power firm and which it opened for Private Sector Participation (PSP) years back.

On prospects of offering the SPUG areas for public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, Tampinco stressed that the focus will be more “on the generation aspect” of investment. For the transmission component , this may be bankrolled by NPC’s own budget which may eventually be recovered through allowable cost pass-on mechanisms.

The private sector partners, he said, can either come in as technology providers, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor or as equity providers.

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