Palawan News April 2013

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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.

Undergroud River in Palawan

Underground river in Pureto Princesa, Palawan

Baracuda Lake, Coron, Palawan

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: 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. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie A. Kenney and USAID/Philippines Environment Office Chief Daniel Moore witness the safe and sustainable collection of ornamental fish by certified Marine Aquarium Council collectors in Palawan

Province of Palawan, Philippines

Public-private partnership roadshow in Palawan to boost regional competitiveness

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=12&rid=514988
• Wednesday, April 10, 2013

(PNA), PDS/CARF/CIC/PJN

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, April 10 (PNA) -- A roadshow on “Boosting Regional Competitiveness through Public-Private Partnership” will be held here Thursday by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-MIMAROPA.

The roadshow, co-organized by the Regional Competitiveness Council (RCC), is part of the aim of inclusive growth of the Philippine Development Plan which the NCC is pursuing in order to promote competitiveness at all levels in both the public and private sectors.

Leading the regional roadshow is Guillermo Ruiz, private sector Co-Chairman and Executive Director of Makati Business Club, Director Joel Valera of DTI-MIMAROPA and the Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The roadshow hopes to spur partnership with local government units, local industries, business sector, non-government and people’s organizations and the academe, that would make Palawan more competitive in terms of economic, government efficiency and infrastructure indicators.

Topics that will be taken up in the roadshow are Globally Competitive City; Updates on Seamless Infrastructure; State of Philippine Competitiveness; and Gameplan for Competitiveness.

Panel of investigators, reviewing documents on USS Guardian grounding in Palawan

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=514575
• Tuesday, April 9, 2013

(PNA), LAM/CARF/PJN

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, April 9 (PNA) -- The panel of investigators on the grounding of the USS Guardian in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) are reviewing documents and reports that were submitted following the incident.

Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Palawan District commander, who joined the Philippine investigating team in Sasebo, Japan last week, said investigation on the minesweeper's stranding in the South Atoll in Tubbataha is now underway.

“Documents submitted are now being reviewed by the joint investigating team. Maybe in a week’s time or two, the investigating panel will meet again,” said Evangelista to the Philippine News Agency (PNA). The head of the investigating team from the Philippine government is Admiral Luis Tuazon.

“If more documents are needed, the investigating panel will request for them again and then review,” he added.

Last week, the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) said it will seek from the U.S. Navy more than P58 million in damages to the coral isle due to the grounding of the USS Guardian.

Based on the law that governs over the protection, preservation and conservation of the marine protected area, the PAMB will collect P12,000 per square meter of damaged reef and the same amount also per square meter for rehabilitation.

Contrary to an early estimate of 4,000 square meters damaged reefs, the assessment deduced that the destruction was much less at 2,345.67 square meters.

In an interview with the local media earlier, Jose Lorenzo Tan of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Philippines said the methodology in the assessment they used determined accurately the size of the damaged corals.

‘Microgiving’ program benefits conservation campaign in Palawan

• Source:http://loqal.ph/business-and-finance/2013/04/08/%E2%80%98microgiving%E2%80%99-program-benefits-conservation-campaign-in-palawan/
• Monday, April 8, 2013 9:01 am

By Anna Valmero

QUEZON, PALAWAN— To engage the community to take part in local sustainability efforts, it is crucial to educate local stakeholders—from the authorities in the local government, to fisherfolk families, including the young children.

WWW-Philippines, partnered with local bank Banco De Oro Unibank Inc. (BDO), for an education campaign program starting from the younger school children up to the elder fishermen in the area as well as the local policy makers.

The education fund for the project, amounting to a few hundred thousand pesos, came from the pooled five-peso personal donations from every BDO cardholder in 1, 290 automated teller machines (ATMs) for the whole quarter of 2012.

“This P5 small donations essentially operates under microgiving, which can help create a larger impact on conservation when you pool the resources together,” said Jose Angelito Palma, vice president for Conservation Programs at WWF-Philippines.

The microgiving program, which runs throughout the year, supports a different project site of WWF for each quarter. It generates at least 3 million pesos for a year and the amount is distributed to key project sites, including the Donsol whale shark conservation program, the Tubbataha reef rehabilitation project and most recently, the mariculture program in Quezon.

In other parts of the world, microgiving has been proven as a creative means to sustainably raise alternative funds especially among environment and other advocacy groups.

By donating just five pesos, a local ATM cardholder does not feel that he is giving too much to support a cause he or she believes in so most of them turn to become regular microgivers, almost every time they withdraw cash from the ATM, explained Palma.

To tap local schools, the non-profit organization partnered with the local government to enable the local science curriculum in elementary and high school to integrate lessons on environment conservation, with a strong focus on marine protection since the community derives its income from the sea.

Fishermen, on the other hand, are a different segment. The lessons on conservation were integrated during their livelihood trainings on seaweed farming and suno mariculture.

“Sustainability takes on multiple frameworks for its adoption in Quezon but it is directly linked to let the fishermen keep their jobs and generate new streams of revenues for local families,” said Marivic Matillano, project manager of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Live Reef and Sustainability program in Palawan.

(Read: (Part 1) Seaweed farming, mariculture provide alternative livelihood for Palawan fishermen)

“For example, you need to let them know that the mariculture method can help keep the production of suno—their main income source—high so that they will know they will not lose their jobs when you tell them to veer away from traditional ways of capturing suno—that is from getting the suno in their coral habitats,” the official said.

The community is also involved in taking care of marine protected areas by informing them of the allowed and prohibited activities in no-take zones and multiple-use areas, according to Pacita Bravo, BFAR officer for Quezon.

Conservation leads to livelihood

For suno mariculturist and trader Mary Jane Rodrigo, she said that the mariculture of suno proved to be a more profitable means of livelihood for her family. While still a full-time mother to her two young kids, she can now help her husband earn from their small cage of suno. Her family earns P30,000 for every harvest of mature suno that they sell to traders at the poblacion.

A floating cage made of green polyethylene net framed with rope only cost P3,000. The cage can hold 30 pieces of 100g to 200g of suno for conditioning until they weigh near a kilo or more.

“This time, I am able to help my husband and my family even when I stay at home. By becoming a suno culturist, I was able to show other women in the community that the previous methods we employed can harm the environment and the community in the long run,” said Rodrigo.

She said that apart from suno mariculture, she has also attended several trainings on coastal conservation and how fishing communities can protect marine resources where they get their livelihood.

Rodrigo and other households in Quezon engaged in suno mariculture earn over half a million per year, which is six times more than the poverty threshold for the province pegged at P83,100 a year.

Aside from mariculture, suno culturists and traders also get bulk of their income from remittances, farming and other small business such as sari-sari stores.

The municipality of Quezon in 2009 produced a total of 27,640 kilos of live suno, making the town one of the major suppliers of live reef fish commodities in Southern Palawan, according to the BFAR office in Quezon.

While the reef condition in Quezon does not look promising, it should be noted that the fish biomass such as 852 metric tons per square kilometer in Calumpang and fish density of 6,406 individuals per square kilometer in the area is relatively high, according to the Western Philippines University.

The fishermen were also educated that by adopting mariculture, they are setting an example to other coastal municipalities that adopting the Fishery Code of the Philippines, which prohibits the trading and export of live fish except those produced from full-cycle mariculture, can actually be done. In other parts of the country where live reef fish trade is being done, this provision is usually not implemented and the suno are caught straight from the reefs.

Before, locals in the area would not be able to eat the suno that they harvest from coral reefs, the reason being is that they would rather get the money from the valued fish so they can buy cheaper alternatives, said Rodrigo.

Today, families such as Rodrigo’s operate fish cages of suno at their floating houses along Quezon bay. The fishes which die while being cultured are eaten by the traders, while some even offer live suno to visitors and family guests as a parting gift.

The creation of a local cooperative initiated by fisher folks and assisted by the local fisheries office also helped as it created an avenue for collaboration among the business sector and the government so they can initiate similar objectives, she added.

Most of the suno cultured in cages are still caught in the wild via extractive fishing methods, according to Lota Alcantara-Creencia, researcher with the Western Philippines University. To address this, the local government of Quezon initiated in 2010 a P3-million fish sanctuary project with the Danish International Development Agency.

(Read: (Part 2) Coastal conservation reaps benefits for Palawan fishermen)

The project, which runs for 18 months, helped establish and protect 1,000 hectares of marine protected areas and fish sanctuary to ensure spawning areas for suno—thus ensuring that there will be mature suno that can reproduce for the next harvest season.

Since the number of live reef fish cagers and traders had boomed from three to ten groups per barangay, anecdotal stories from older fishermen said that the suno they can catch today have severely declined.

A decade ago, old fisher folks can catch up to 100 pieces of red suno a day, while fishermen of today have lesser catch with more of the pinkish and brownish grouper in their harvest.

Employing hook and line fishing, locals catch 1 to 3 pieces of suno per day or 30-90 pieces per month with 10 to 15 pieces good size. Hook and line fishing is one of the traditional methods used by local fishermen and is allowed by the local fisheries bureau for catching suno for mariculture.

“The quality of the coral reef ecosystem where red groupers inhabit is in question here. The stories from LRF fishers reveal that the coral reefs frequented by fishers are far because those nearby are not in good condition which can be confirmed by coral cover data. There is declining catch of groupers,” according to a report from Western Philippines University.

When coral reefs are not healthy, many associated organisms are affected. If the catch of groupers has declined, then other populations in the coral reef can either decrease or increase depending on the conditions of the unbalanced ecosystem, said Lota Alcantara-Creencia, researcher with the Western Philippines University.

Matillano said that there is still room for improvement in the sustainable live reef fish trade plan in Quezon but it is worth noting that efforts such as this have helped communities in Palawan to adopt more sustainable practices of culturing suno as well as allowing no-take zones in marine protected areas to revitalize brood stocks of suno.

“For conservation to work, you need to balance food security with poverty alleviation and economic opportunities and the story of the small town of Quezon proves that,” Matillano said.

Tourists begin summer exodus on top sites in Palawan

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=6&rid=513894
• Sunday, April 7, 2013

By Celeste Anna R. Formoso [(PNA), CTB/CARF/RSM]

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, April 7 (PNA) -- Foreign and domestic tourists have started flocking to popular and pristine tour sites in Palawan, the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) here on Saturdy said.

Maribel Buni, chief tourism operations officer of the PTO, said the towns of Coron and El Nido remain to be the top destinations in Palawan, not only during the peak season but all year round.

She said that since February, hotels and other accommodation venues in the two towns were already fully booked until May.

Buying plane tickets in Manila to get to the two towns have become difficult due to early bookers, particularly during the peak season, Buni said.

She said that this only indicates that Palawan is already in the tourism map of tourists not just in the country, but all over the world due to the success of the provincial government's promotions in partnership with the Palawan Tourism Council.

Phl to ask P58.3M from US for damages to Tubbataha

• Source:http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=711365163761
• Saturday, April 6, 2013

By Victoria Asuncion S. Mendoza (LBR/VSM/PIPalawan)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, April 6 (PIA) -- The Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board (TPAMB) is seeking P58.3 million from the United States for damages to the coral reefs when its minesweeper USS Guardian run aground in January.

A demand letter for payment of the reef damage will be issued to the United States navy through the Department of Foreign Affairs at the soonest possible time according to TPAMB.

The computation was concluded Friday afternoon based on what is in Republic Act 10067 or the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Act. The law states that a fine of P12,000 per square meter is mandatory, and another P12,000 per square meter to be prescribed for rehabilitation.

Based on the result of the assessment, the actual reef damage was measured to have reached 2,345.67 square meters which is smaller than the earlier estimate of 4,000 square meters.

“The difference in the estimates of the damage area was in the methodology used, but the one used yesterday was more accurate using shaped polygons which follow the natural contours of the reefs,” said Jose Lorenzo Tan, CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Philippines and TPAMB member.

The joint assessment team conducted the actual survey and inspection of the affected areas on April 3-4 composed of marine scientists and experts from the Tubbataha Management Office, WWF Philippines, UP Marine Science Institute and a marine expert from the US Navy.

He said that according to the Filipino scientists there was less damage due to the fact that the hull of the minesweeper was made of wood. “There could have been bigger damage had it been made of steel,” said Tan.

He said that the TPAMB acknowledges the efforts of the US navy in the handling and the conduct itself of the salvage operation which explored all possibilities to prevent further damage.

Evacuees from Sabah seek shelter on island in Palawan

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=513477
• Friday, April 5, 2013

(PNA), PDS/CARF/PJN

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, April 5 (PNA) -- Immigration and naval authorities in Palawan on Friday are on its way to Mangsee Island, Balabac to facilitate the proper documentation and investigation of around 740 Filipino evacuees from Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia.

The evacuees arrived on the country's territorial waters Tuesday, Naval Forces West (NFW) commander Commodore Joseph Rustom Pena told PNA.

Pena said the evacuees, mostly young children and women, were accosted by crewmen of a patrol naval vessel at sea on their arrival on various small sea transports.

"They said they are from Sabah, and that they want to seek shelter on Mangsee Island as they have relatives there. We really don't know much yet, our people on the ground are still finding out. Of course, they need to be documented first," Pena said to the PNA, adding the evacuees failed to show documents that could prove their identities.

He cannot fully ascertain if the evacuees are supporters of the Sultanate of Sulu or long-time residents of Lahad Datu who were caught in the bloody fight with the Royal Malaysian Guards.

Asked if the evacuees will be brought to Puerto Princesa, Pena said they have to obtain their areas of residences and communicate with their relatives if necessary, and with the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) for whatever assistances are needed.

Mangsee Island is off the southernmost tip of Palawan and is frequently used as jump off point of Islam traders going to Malaysia.

French Navy ship FS Vendemiaire arrives in Puerto Princesa for goodwill visit

• Source:http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=721364997172
• Thursday, April 4, 2013

By Orlan C. Jabagat (LBR/CRG/OCJ/PIA4B)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, April 4 (PIA) - The French Navy ship FS Vendemiaire arrived in Puerto Princesa on April 1 as part of its two-day goodwill visit to Palawan.

The vessel’s 92-strong crew including officers headed by its captain Commander Joffrey Gerry FN were received by the Western Command Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Elmer Amon.

CDR Gerry said there won’t be any exercises during their visit. Goodwill visits, Gerry said, is one way for the Navy to learn the culture, expertise and capabilities of the French Navy.

Personnel from the Naval Forces West, the Philippine Navy unit in Palawan will also have a chance to familiarize themselves with French’ weaponry, machineries and other capabilities of their ship.

The French vessel’s visit marks its first in Palawan. It visited Manila in 2009 and Cebu in 2012.

FS Vendemiaire is a light monitoring frigate or warship of the French Marine Nationale. It has missiles, guns, a turret and a helicopter.

They are docked at the Naval tidepole pier in Puerto Princesa.

DMCI: Palawan power plant to use clean coal

• Source:http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/04/03/dmci-palawan-power-plant-to-use-clean-coal/
• Wednesday, April 3, 2013 12:01 am

(MST Business), PDS/CARF/PJN

DMCI Power Corp. is building a power plant in Palawan to avert a looming power crisis in the fast-growing province, which thrives on tourism as a main industry.

DMCI Power will use the newest and cleanest coal technology in the proposed 15-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Narra in the southern part of the province. The power plant is expected to commence operation in September 2014.

DMCI Power during the interim construction period will install additional generating capacities through modular diesel generating sets, until dependable capacity reaches 25 MW in September 2013.

Also called the “clean-coal” technology, the circulating fluidized bed combustion technology prevents the formation of acid rain by effectively reducing the emission of sulfur oxide and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. The CFB technology has a 99.9-percent efficiency rate in the collection of fly-ash and buttom ash, thereby preventing dust pollution.

The CFB technology is compliant and has met all world environmental requirements including the standards set by the Philippine Clean Air Act.

DMCI Power said the project would not affect the wildlife and cockatoo sanctuary in the area. The power plant is small, with its proposed smoke stack only two meters wide, which is too narrow to block the flight path of the cockatoos.

DMCI Power will connect to the feeder power lines built by National Power Corp. and which have been in existence even before the proposed project.

DMCI Power will employ other measures to guarantee public health and environmental safety, such as the construction of an ash pond and if necessary, hauling out the ash as back load of the barges that will deliver coal to the plant, and waste water treatment system.

It will set up different groups that will have representatives from the community, who will monitor and ensure the project complies with standards.

TMO head, 2 experts to assess Tubbataha damage

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=512267
• Tuesday, April 2, 2013

(PNA), PDS/CARF/PJN

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, April 2 (PNA)-- The head of the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) on early Tuesday flew to Tubbataha with two experts on Philippine corals to begin ocular inspection of the area.

The damage on the Tubbataha Reef will be officially appraised on March 8.

TMO head Angelique Songco flew to the site with Drs. Al Licuanan from the De La Salle University and Maricor Soriano, an assistant professor in the National Institute of Physics of the University of the Philippines.

Licuanan and Soriano will help determine the set of procedures to be followed to conduct timely post-assessment in order to define if a natural or an assisted regeneration is necessary for the damaged corals.

The TMO said the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) has yet to hear from the U.S. Navy "or its government," with regard to the compensation for corals damaged by the decommissioned USS Guardian.

In a media conference called by the Task Force Tubbataha (TFT) late Monday, Songco said after sending the notice of violation some time ago, the PAMB of the marine protected area has not received any official reply from the U.S. Navy if it will recompense the Philippines and when.

“Well, the PAMB has not received or heard anything officially yet, up to this time. But we have read in the papers, and so in television that various agencies of the U.S. have committed to compensate the park,” Songco said.

She added the last direction she received from the Tubbataha PAMB was that the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 10067 will be carried out in collecting compensation for damages incurred by the minesweeper.

“Actually, my last instruction from the PAMB was that we are going to follow the law in doing this. But I’ve heard that there are negotiations that have gone on with the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), and I think that is part of negotiations even early on in this case,” she said.

On the other hand, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena, who flew to Puerto Princesa for the purpose, said the U.S. Navy has said it will recompense but it needs to know the exact damages its minesweeper had caused on the coral isle, where it got stranded last January.

“Actually, that was the line U.S. Navy is following eventually. Of course, the U.S. Navy is willing to assist in whatever they can to rehabilitate the reefs. So we really do not know the whole package yet. But they mentioned that they are very willing to assist the TMO to rehabilitate,” Isorena said.

He added “everything will fall into place” after results have already been obtained from the post-assessment that will be conducted in Tubbataha.

“The TMO will head the post-assessment to determine how much had been damaged by the USS Guardian. From here, maybe the U.S. Navy can already gauge how much it will need to compensate,” Isorena told the PNA.

Meanwhile, Isorena also announced in the media conference that a team from the Philippines, which would include PCG-Palawan District Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, will be flying to Sasebo, Japan on Wednesday for a meeting with the U.S. Navy, 7th Fleet.

New WESCOM chief promises more military efforts for Palawan dev't

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=511957
• Monday, April 1, 2013

(PNA), HBC/CARF/TRIB/ABB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, April 1 (PNA) -- The new chief of the Western Command, Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero guaranteed Monday to double military efforts in Palawan to help it achieve its mission in the province.

Guerrero, who formally replaced Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban as the WESCOM commander on April 1, said with a “doubled military effort,” he will continue focusing on the three major aspects of developmental support for the province: that of ensuring territorial integrity of the areas under the command's jurisdiction, enhancing disaster response management, and strengthening partnerships with the civil groups.

"We will address the internal security concerns, we will continue to support the environmental groups and local government units' initiatives to sustain environmental protection efforts and, of course, we will find ways to further enhance disaster response in the province," Guerrero assured.

He said these tasks are not new to him, having served as PMC commandant prior to appointment as WESCOM chief because he has been undertaking the same in other parts of the countries where he was assigned.

"We will put the right people on the ground and we will assure you that [the military] will continue working with the people of Palawan to achieve the purpose of our presence here [in the province]," the newly-installed WESCOM commanding general said.

Guerrero also said he is not daunted by the challenges posed by limited resources that WESCOM has at its disposal because he believes the men and women of the different units under unified commands can augment its lack of physical assets.

The marine officer, however, stressed that “the cooperation of the local community is an essential factor in ensuring the success of the military's mission.”

He appeals to the public to observe the spirit of "bayanihan" or communal volunteerism that is the core of the military's Internal Peace and Security Plan.

Guerrero previously served as commanding officer of the 1st Marine Brigade and as superintendent of the Marine Corps Training Center. He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1981.

He finished his Masters of Military Study and Command and Staff College in Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia, USA; took up Foreign Officers Tactical Intelligence Course in Queensland, Australia, and tactical, operational and strategic command courses in various military institutions in the country.

Prior to his assumption as commandant on August 24, 2010, he was the commander of the Joint Task Force Comet for almost one year in Sulu.