Palawan News January 2017

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Palawan - Archived News

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Provincial Capitol of Palawan

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

Nickelodeon to build Palawan theme park

• Source: http://thestandard.com.ph/business/226372/nickelodeon-to-build-palawan-theme-park.html
• Tuesday, January 10, 2017 9:05 pm

(AFP and Othel V. Campos)

American children’s television network Nickelodeon has announced it will build an underwater resort and theme park in Palawan province, the Philippines’ last ecological frontier, alarming environmentalists.

The firm behind SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer said the park on Palawan island would be part of a 400-hectare (1,000-acre) undersea development showcasing the area’s marine life that would give fans a chance to “interact with the brand and the iconic characters they love”.

Palawan was chosen for the development because it “is known to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world today,” Ron Johnson, an executive vice president with Viacom International Media Networks, which owns Nickelodeon, said in a statement emailed to AFP on Tuesday.

Viacom’s initial statement announcing the project on Monday said the resort would open in 2020 and feature restaurants and lounges six metes (20 feet) below sea level.

The development would “advocate ocean protection,” the statement said.

But environmental group Greenpeace said it would destroy the area’s world-famous marine ecosystem.

“It’s sad and alarming because a theme park that big will not promote environmental protection by building those structures,” Vince Cinches of Greenpeace Southeast Asia told AFP.

“Why build a viewing deck when you have the whole paradise to enjoy?”

Conservation groups call Palawan “the last frontier” because of its pristine coastlines and forests, which are among the oldest and most diverse in Southeast Asia.

Palawan is home to two Unesco World Heritage-listed sites, a subterranean river and the Tubbataha coral reefs.

Palawan-based environmental activist Grizelda Mayo-Anda also expressed concern.

“I am wary because we have had problems already with resorts built in mangrove areas,” Mayo-Anda, executive director of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center, told AFP.

“I’m really concerned because sometimes, with all due respect to the local government unit, we get captivated by new projects and we do not judiciously study the impact.”

Viacom’s Philippine partner, Coral World Park, insisted the resort would not hurt the environment.

“We are taking very, very careful measures to ensure that the biodiversity is kept intact,” Coral World Park chairman Paul Monozca told AFP.

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, a government body, said the project had yet to be approved.

VIMN said the project will also feature one-of-its-kind resort dining experience with CWP’s trademark underwater restaurants and lounges, which will be located about 20 feet below sea level with vivid views of the world beneath the ocean.

VIMN is a unit of Nasdaq-listed media company Viacom Inc. which is behind multimedia entertainment brands such as MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Paramount Channel.

The company said Nickelodeon’s first resort in Southeast Asia would cover 70 hectares for the resort’s accommodation and 30 hectares for the themed attraction and would open by 2020.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Coral World Park to open the world’s first undersea attraction and Nickelodeon’s first resort in Southeast Asia as we continue to expand on our theme-based attractions in Asia and across the world,” said Gerald Raines, senior vice president for global recreation at VIMN.

Mark Whitehead, president and managing director of VIMN Asia Pacific said the investment would be another important step in boosting the Nickelodeon entertainment experience “as we continue to give our fans, kids and their families, new ways to interact with the brand and the iconic characters they love.”

“Creating immersive on-the-ground consumer experiences are increasingly important. Hence, growing the recreational and consumer products footprint of the Nickelodeon brand in Asia Pacific is a priority for us. I am delighted this collaboration will add another Nickelodeon themed attraction in Asia, which will in turn give a significant business opportunity for our partners across multiple platforms,” Whitehead said.

The Nickelodeon undersea attraction and resort will be located amid a cluster of 16 white-sand islands of the CWP. The company said with a distance of 5 to 20 minutes apart by speedboat, visitors could expect a multi-island experience within CWP that would include island hopping, hidden lagoons, hot springs, an animal reserve and world-class diving amidst shipwrecks.

It said when completed, CWP would be the largest coral reef conservation program in Asia, with Asia’s largest marine sanctuary for five key species – dolphins, sea cows, sea horses, turtles and whale sharks.

The Ocean Protection program is jointly funded by Monaco-based Dr. AB Moñozca Foundation and its CWP Trust, and supported by global personalities advocating awareness on climate change.

CWP will open in phases starting 2018 and is within a three to six hour radius to major cities within Asia.

Paul Moñozca, chairman of Coral World Park Undersea Resorts Inc., said “the Nickelodeon undersea attraction and resort will be exciting additions to Coral World Park and I am delighted we are collaborating with Viacom international Media Networks to create this unique undersea themed family experience.”

CSWDO holds children's fora in Puerto Princesa City

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/521481751326/cswdo-holds-children-s-fora-in-puerto-princesa-city
• Monday, January 9, 2017

By Lyndon Plantilla (LP/PIA4B)

MANILA, Jan 9 (PIA) --- An activity called Children’s fora was recently in Puerto Princesa held targeting children in grades 5-12 in the city’s 66 barangays.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) of Puerto Princesa City worked closely with child representatives of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) in every village to promote children’s rights and responsibilities and child protection laws.

BCPCs are barangay level structures that assist their local governments in the development and implementation of programs for children.

Topics included in the fora are child trafficking, pedophilia, rape and other forms of child abuse and exploitation.

The fora covered only half of the targeted barangays but reached 6,500 children.

The CSWDO resumed the holding of forum in November this year to cover children in the remaining 33 barangays.

The result was stunning: the fora reached some 5,000 more including those living in city’s island barangays within 20 days.

Remy Belran of Puerto Princesa CSWDO said these children’s fora were appreciated by teachers of participating students who were updated on developments in child protection policies.

She added that these engagements with BCPCs are now considered in determining which among the city’s barangays is the most child-friendly.

Malampaya funds eyed to lower rates

• Source: http://thestandard.com.ph/business/226171/malampaya-funds-eyed-to-lower-rates.html
• Sunday, January 8, 2017 7:40 pm

By Alena Mae S. Flores

The government is considering the use of a portion of the P228-billion Malampaya fund to reduce power costs in the Philippines, an energy official said over the weekend.

“The DoE was informed that about P228 billion was deposited to the special account of the fund three months ago. This can be verified with the Department of Budget and Management, which is the steward of the account,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said.

Fuentebella said previous disbursements from the proceeds of the Malampaya gas production field were made through Presidential Decree 910 that authorized the President to do so, but this was invalidated by the Supreme Court in 2013.

He said the use the Malampaya Fund was one of the government’s options to reduce power rates.

“Use the Malampaya to subsidize universal charges. There are bills filed in Congress to effect such subsidy,” Fuentebella said.

Another option was removal of the value added tax on power systems loss.

“The DoE already wrote to the DOF/BIR (Finance and Internal Revenue Bureau) on this and there are several bills in Congress that aims to remove tax on systems loss,” he said.

He said the department was also speeding up the permitting process and classifying energy projects and assets with national significance.

Fuentebella said the department was addressing price volatility in the market by implementing mitigating measures.

Other plans include the pursuit of segregation of losses, both technical and non-technical, with the end of lowering the cap.

“Pending bills for such segregation are filed in Congress,” he said.

Fuentebella said the implementation of competitive selection process in power supply contracts would help decrease power costs.

He said the department, in addition, would revisit the pricing methodology.

“The distribution and transmission costs approved by ERC is being re-examined,” he said, adding an improvement in the operations of electric cooperatives would help.

“Lower costs can be achieved in the long term with improved operations and robust distribution facilities of ECs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shell Philippines Exploration B.V.’s arbitration case against the government on the Malampaya gas project’s corporate income tax issue has started to move forward.

Spex, operator of the Malampaya gas project in northwest Palawan filed the arbitration case with the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes or ICSID on June 27, 2016.

“It is pending before the International Centre for the Settlement on Investment Disputes. Parties to the case recently went to a process of selecting arbitrators,” Fuentebella said.

Palawan legislator proposes 100% free tertiary education for SUCs

• Source: http://palawan-news.com/palawan-legislator-proposes-100-free-tertiary-education-sucs/
• Saturday, January 7, 2017

By Catherine Santos

In his privilege speech in Tuesday’s Cuyuno session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Palawan, Board Member Winston Arzaga urged his co-legislators to study the possibility of providing free tertiary education to students of Palawan State University (PSU) and Western Philippines University (WPU).

The legislator discussed the matter following the announcement that PSU and WPU were included in the 114 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the country that will enjoy free tuition fees.

It can be recalled that before last year’s Christmas break, news was broken on national media regarding the implementation of free tuition in the country’s SUCs starting 2017, following an additional allocation of Php8B to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). In a statement issued on December 16, Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said, “All students who will enroll in any state university and college in the country will no longer pay tuition starting next school year.”

BM Arzaga said that the provincial government’s scholarship programs, which presently cover tuition fees, may be realigned so the budget can cover for the students’ miscellaneous fees.

“Muro sa mga pag-adal agalua nga ang libreng tuition, it constitute only about 40% y ang total nga garastuson para makatapos kolehiyo,” Arzaga said.

The legislator underscored that the proposed scenario is better: the national government will shoulder the tuition fees of the scholars while the local government will shoulder the miscellaneous expenses.

“Ateng pondo sa scholarship, ibetang sa pagbayad miscellaneous agud mas matamang palaweno ang makakatapos y Kolehiyo,” he added.

Arzaga clarified, however, that his proposal will still undergo in-depth studies, particularly if it is feasible for parties involved.

Relatedly, Board Member David Francis Ponce de Leon proposed that officials from the two SUCs in the province be invited to the next session of the legislative body to clarify how proposed free tuition system will affect them.

New Puerto Princesa airport set to open on March

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=950589
• Friday, January 6, 2017

By Rex Ruta (ABS-CBN News

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan - A "new and improved" Puerto Princesa International Airport is expected to open in March, officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said Thursday.

The construction of the new airport is 90 percent complete, CAAP area manager Engr. Percy Malonesio said.

The powerhouse, administration building, watch tower, and terminal are almost finished, while the security and safety measures, including the air navigation system, have already been tested, Malonesio said.

The taxi-way and runway of the new airport will be longer to accommodate more domestic and international flights, he said.

Former leper colony town in Palawan to implement ‘big’ projects in 2017

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=953026
• Thursday, January 5, 2017

By Celeste Anna R. Formoso [(PNA), LAP/CARF/EDS]

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Jan. 5 (PNA) –- Bright prospects, one of them increase in tourist influx, await the former leper colony town of Culion in the Calamian Group of Islands in northern Palawan because bigger projects will be implemented there with the help of the provincial government.

Lady Mayor Virginia de Vera couldn’t contain her excitement Thursday as she narrated that this year, the provincial government of Palawan led by Governor Jose Alvarez, will help Culion in the concretization of some of its major roads to provide comfortable access to residents to the town center.

De Vera said the town center is where Culion’s business district is located, and if easily accessible can encourage investors in other industries to open shop.

The Palawan government, she added, will help their municipal government in the development of their airport in Barangay Malaking Patag for light aircraft to land on to bring either goods or tourist passengers since Culion is developing now into a tourist destination after Coron.

Eight water projects are also up for implementation to provide clean water to the town’s residents.

“We know we still don’t have our Seal of Good Local Governance in the municipal government, but the provincial government is going to help us look for funds for these big projects for Culion,” De Vera said.

She added they are thankful to the governor and the province because finally, Culion was given the consideration it needs to flourish as an island town in the Calamian area.

Culion is not only a town that is part of the Calamian. When the treaty of Paris was signed in 1898, and Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States, the town was made as a segregation colony in 1901 for individuals afflicted with leprosy.

Culion has a land area of 500 square kilometers, which include the 41 surrounding islands and measures a total of 1,191.39 square kilometers (460.00 sq mi) including its territorial water.

MARINA Palawan implements phase out of wooden-hulled passenger vessels

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=6&rid=952750
• Wednesday, January 4, 2017

By Raymond M. Almodal [(PNA), LAP/CARF/RMA/EDS]

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Jan. 4 (PNA) –- The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) started Wednesday the implementation of its circular that phases out all wooden-hulled vessels that transport passengers from port-to-port in this city and the whole Palawan.

Engineer Nelson Sobrevega, head of MARINA in Palawan, said a directive has now been passed down, ordering them to instigate Circular No. 2016-2 which seeks the eventual discontinuation of operation of passenger wooden-hulled vessels, particularly in all ports in Coron and El Nido in the northern part of the province.

He said the wooden-hulled vessels will be replaced by larger vessels that are tough, well-made, and more seaworthy by 2018 for the safety of passengers.

“They will be replaced by vessels with modern hulls, for example fiber glass-hulled, aluminum-hulled or steel-hulled vessels,” Sobrevega said.

“The implementation will affect liner routes, where there are regular or permanent schedules of trip, and that have port of calls. They will be the areas where the phase out will be done first that is why we are already advising this early,” he added.

Once a route is declared “fully served,” Sobrega explained operators of wooden-hulled vessels will be given six months to stop their operations.

“This is for the safety and comfort of our passengers,” he added, saying they are now in the stage of implementing the circular.

El Nido and Coron are the first areas, where the phase out is now being enforced because of the entry of two shipping lines of Montenegro.

Once fully served, the wooden-hulled vessels that ply the routes will be stopped from operating even if they have the capacity to transport 80-100 passengers.

Sobrevega added the circular does not cover motor boats that cater to tourists, especially those operating in areas identified as tourist sites of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The implementation is not limited only in Palawan, he stated, but it covers the whole MIMAROPA.

He also accepts that there will be complaints, but he said they cannot do anything because “it’s the marching order to give priority to safer passenger vessel operation.”

New Year celebration in Palawan generally peaceful, says PPO

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=952473
• Tuesday, January 3, 2017

By Grace Ann N. Belostrino [(PNA), LAP/CARF/GANB/SSC]

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Jan. 3 (PNA) -- The celebration of the New Year in Palawan was generally peaceful and with only less than a dozen firecracker-related injuries, according to the Provincial Police Office (PPO) Tuesday.

PPO spokesperson Insp. Ric Ramos said that except for the isolated Taytay blasting incident that happened on December 28, no other “untoward incident” was recorded in any of Palawan’s 23 municipalities.

“We thank our local government unit officials for their cooperation, and for positively replying to our call for a peaceful and secured celebration of the New Year,” Ramos said, adding no policeman or member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was recorded to have been involved in firing their service firearms.

“We are proud of our police force in Palawan because of the discipline they displayed. Remember that we didn’t do muzzle-taping, and despite that, no one fired his or her service firearm. That’s an achievement for us,” he said.

In related news in Puerto Princesa, seven firecracker-related injuries were confirmed Tuesday by Dr. Louie Ocampo of the Ospital ng Palawan (ONP) to have been recorded.

Ocampo said on December 25, three individuals were brought to the ONP after suffering from premature ignition of the notorious piccolo firecracker.

Four were added to the number shortly on the eve of December 31, also due to piccolo, and one because of Dragon skyrockets, locally known as “kwitis.”

The number, he said, is a big mark down from 2015’s more than a dozen cases recorded.

“This means that the campaign of the DOH (Department of Health) for an incident-free New Year’s celebration was successful here in Palawan,” he said.

Palawan cops appeal for tips on suspect in Taytay bombing

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=950589
• Monday, January 2, 2017

By Archie T. Barone

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Dec. 30 (PNA) – Police authorities in Palawan on Thursday called on witnesses of the December 28 Taytay bombing to surface and help solve the incident.

Chief Insp. Ric Ramos, spokesperson of the Palawan Provincial Police Office (PPO) said witnesses, who might know who the suspect or suspects are, should cooperate with the Taytay Municipal Police (TMP) investigation to determine why the crime was perpetrated and who should be brought to justice.

“Witnesses who might know who the suspect is, or suspects are, should not be afraid to come forward and cooperate with us. Their statements are important so we can solve this incident,” Ramos said.

He furthered that if the witnesses want anonymity, they can rest assured that the TMP and the PPO would ensure their safety.

Based on initial findings, the improvised explosive device (IED) that was detonated in front of the bakery owned by Jerald Perje, 34, at Sitio Montevista, Poblacion, Taytay, was almost similar to those being used in illegal blast fishing.

Ramos said they are still investigating the reason behind the blast, and one of the theories they are looking into is personal grudge against the bakery owner.

On December 28 at around 1:20 a.m., a blast occurred along the National Highway of Sitio Montevista, Poblacion, Taytay.

Perje told police investigators he was sleeping when he was awakened by a loud blast that came from an IED that was placed outside his bakery. The incident resulted to still undetermined amount of damaged to property.

Luckily, according to Ramos, no one was injured in the blast. Investigation remains ongoing regarding the incident.

Taytay is a first class municipality in the province of Palawan, an island of the Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 70,837 people.

High Value target arrested on Christmas in El Nido, Palawan

• Source: http://palawan-news.com/high-value-target-arrested-christmas-el-nido-palawan/
• Monday, January 1, 2017

By Melba P. Daganta

The El Nido Municipal Police Station led by PSI Annalyn Palma have conducted a buy-bust operation on Christmas, December 25, around 10PM that resulted to the arrest of Jesus Gabitan aka “Bradley”, presently residing in Villa Libertad, ElNido, and is considered as one of the high value targets of the said town.

Recovered from the suspects are17 sachets of white crystalline substance believed to be shabu, mark money, motorcycle Honda TMX 155 and other drug paraphernalia.

Authorities are preparing documents for inquest proceedings of the said suspect in violation of RA 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Acts of 2002.