Philippines

Difference between revisions of "Palawan News February 2013"

→ → Go back HOME to Zamboanga: the Portal to the Philippines.

Palawan News February 2013 (view source)

Revision as of 15:19, 28 February 2013

21,971 bytes added ,  15:19, 28 February 2013
→‎Witness’ death won’t weaken case vs ex-gov, says DOJ chief
m (Protected "Palawan News February 2013" (‎[edit=autoconfirmed] (indefinite) ‎[move=autoconfirmed] (indefinite)))
Line 25: Line 25:
<font size=5>Province of Palawan, [[Philippines]]</font><br>
<font size=5>Province of Palawan, [[Philippines]]</font><br>
<!--- DO NOT EDIT ABOVE THIS LINE --->
<!--- DO NOT EDIT ABOVE THIS LINE --->
==Puerto Princesa hosts 4×4 Balayong Festival==
*Source:http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/02/20/puerto-princesa-hosts-4x4-balayong-festival/
*Wednesday, February 20, 2013 12:01 am
:(MST Sports)
With the annual 4×4 Puerto Princesa Balayong Festival Offroad Challenge heading to its 10th year, a bigger and more exciting race weekend is planned on March 8 to 10 at the Brgy. Sta. Monica Tracks in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.
Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, and his wife and Oplan Linis head, Ellen Hagedorn, have been supporting the event since the start and were able to transform the city into the newest tourist destination in the country. The Hagedorns, who have made Sports Tourism as one of the city’s main attractions, will also host the inaugural leg of the FIM MX Asia on March 22 to 24.
The MP TURBO-organized Offroad Challenge will be the final affair of Puerto Princesa’s most celebrated festival, the Balayong Festival, which marks the city’s Foundation Day on March 4.
Race Director Mike Potenciano promises a memorable race with a launch party at the Mendoza Park at the center of the city, a new supporting race called Enduro Cross and a new 4×4 category called the Veterans class, where past champions of off-road racing will be racing in.
This year’s 4×4 challenge will also have the regular Open, Open 4 and 6 Cylinder, Max 33, Novice and All Palawan Classes. There will be the Speed and Technical Race courses and the Top 20 will head onto the Shootout finale.  A new 4×4 Team Relay Race, which will feature a team composed of a 4×4 driver and an Enduro rider running in relay after each other and the best aggregate time to determine the winner.
Officially sponsored by MORETA Shipping Lines, Toyota, Mossimo, Rota Wheels and Emerald Playa, the 2013 Balayong Offroad Festival will try to best last year’s 90 entries in 4×4 races and 80 entries for motorbikes.
Local 4×4 riders, through the efforts of Real Estate man Jong Balbon, have also beefed up their machines in an effort to win back the title from last year’s champion from Pampanga, Ton Dungca.  Motocross and enduro riders from Luzon have also confirmed their participation.
Papa J’s Wiches n Wings, Autoplex KIA & Suzuki PPC, Seaoil and Ziebart have also thrown in their support, including  local government officials, led by City Administrator Atty. Boy Rocamora, Sports Director Tony Reyes, Events Director Connie Aban and Tourism head Becky Labit.
The official TV coverage of Speed and internet radio show Turbo Time will provide all the racing highlights soon to an enthusiastic global crowd.
==50 live hawksbill turtles in Southern Palawan confiscated==
*Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=499061
*Tuesday, February 19, 2013
:(PNA), PDS/JEIB/PJN
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Feb. 19 (PNA) -- Troops from the Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) 12 stationed in Southern Palawan were able to confiscate 50 critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate) following a tip off from residents of Barangay Sibaring, Balabac at the southernmost tip of the province.
Lt. Col. Efren Rellores of MBLT 12 said troops from the 112nd Marine Company under his command and elements of the Balabac Municipal PNP discovered and confiscated the hawksbill sea turtles from unknown owners at Sitio Mansalangan, Sibaring.
He said the endangered turtles were intentionally ensnared in nets and submerged in water to make sure they were kept alive. .
“We did not catch any individual who might be responsible for the illegal act, but we are continuously on surveillance,” Rellores said.
The hawksbill sea turtles, locally known as “pawikan,” were turned over Sunday to the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) in Balabac that has since released them back to the waters.
Rellores alleged that based on their investigation, some residents of Balabac have now engaged in poaching turtles for the high price they fetch when sold to Chinese and Malaysia traders in the high seas.
Balabac in Palawan is one of the known areas where these sea turtles abound because of its tropical coral reefs. They are usually seen resting around these reefs.
==On-line boost to Palawan Tourism==
*Source:http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/02/18/on-line-boost-to-palawan-tourism-2/
*Monday, February 18, 2013 12:01 am
:By Macon Ramos-Araneta
On-line booking for hotel accommodations and flights to Puerto Princesa in Palawan, site of the world-famous Puerto Princesa Underground River, brought big rewards but also overwhelming problems, Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn said on Sunday.
He said the new on-line system, which would make it easy for tourists to book flights and hotel rooms in the city, was accessible to travel agencies here and abroad.
“We worked hard for Puerto Princesa’s tourism. And we could not be happier that it worked and flourished,” Hagedorn said.
“But the demand was quite overwhelming. It eventually caused us more problems than rewards. We had more than what we can handle. And we weren’t prepared for it,” he said.
The new on-line system was presented last February to the Philippine Travel Agencies Association and the Philippine Tour Operators Association. Consultations were also made with local stakeholders in Puerto Princesa.
The new system will be operated by the city government as provided for by a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Tourism. Tourist arrivals in the city surged after the underground river was named one of UNESCO’s New Seven Wonders of Nature.
Hagedorn said the increase in tourist traffic has caused confusion in securing permits to the underground river and it has affected the manner of restriction of access due to environmental concerns.
He said he expected the number of tourist arrivals to grow in the next few months because of the on-line booking system but they have somehow managed to cope with the increased demand.
==Second salvage ship arrives in Palawan area==
*Source:http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/295351/news/nation/second-salvage-ship-arrives-in-palawan-area
*Sunday, February 17, 2013 12:45 pm
:(LBG, GMA News)
A second crane ship dispatched to help in removing the US minesweeper USS Guardian from Tubbataha Reef arrived in the Philippines Saturday night.
The JASCON 25 arrived in the Palawan area at 10 p.m. Saturday, according to a report by radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz Sunday.
However, the ship and its crew are to undergo an inspection by Philippine authorities Sunday before it could get to work.
As of 7 a.m. Sunday, personnel from the Bureaus of Customs and Immigration, along with quarantine personnel, were scheduled to conduct the inspections.
Once the ship and its crew meet the requirements from the Philippine government, it will then head for Tubbataha Reef - if the weather permits.
Meanwhile, the SMIT Borneo, the first crane ship to arrive in the area, was to leave its post to make way for the JASCON 25.
The USS Guardian ran aground on Tubbataha Reef last Jan. 17, and may have damaged an estimated 4,000 square meters of the heritage site.
An earlier dzBB report cited the US Navy's revised plans indicating the JASCON 25's advantage over the SMIT Borneo, which arrived in the Philippines earlier this month, is that it is more stable and less prone to anchoring problems.
Earlier, the SMIT Borneo had problems starting salvage work since it could not drop anchor properly.
The JASCON 25 is being eyed as the main vessel for the salvage, with SMIT Borneo only as a support ship.
==Dismantling of US Navy ship to start on Monday==
*Source:http://globalnation.inquirer.net/64677/dismantling-of-us-navy-ship-to-start-on-monday
*Saturday, February 16, 2013 7:35 pm
:By Philip C. Tubeza With a report from Nikko Dizon (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines—The American minesweeper USS Guardian, which is stuck on the Tubbataha Reef in Palawan, will be “chopped up” beginning Monday, a Philippine Coast Guard official said Saturday.
PCG Palawan District commander Commodore Enrico Evangelista said the crane ship MT Jascon 25 was due to arrive in the area at 11 p.m. Saturday and that salvaging operations for the USS Guardian would begin on Monday.
“For the past one month, we prepared the USS Guardian for removal and the best scheme to remove (it) is through cutting,” Evangelista said in an interview. “We have already removed the things that can be removed so now [the entire ship] is ready for removal. We will begin cutting (on Monday).”
Evangelista said they had already removed “50-caliber machine guns, small guns and ammunition but no missiles.”
The United States earlier hired the services of the salvaging ships MT Trabajador 1 of Malayan Towage and Salvaging Corp. and the Vos Apollo of a Malaysian company based in Singapore. The US Navy’s USNS Salvor and the PCG’s BRP Romblon are also at the site.
Evangelita said the chopped up parts of the ship would be taken to Vos Apollo and transferred to a barge from Subic Bay.
“This is a warship of the US Navy so they will determine where it will be disposed. I still don’t know what they intend to do with it. The ship may have a design that is a trade secret,” he said.
He added that the Philippine government no longer needed these ship parts for its investigation into the grounding incident.
In Baguio City, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya  ruled out the possibility of sending the crew of the USS Guardian to jail for running aground on the Tubbataha Reef.
“It becomes tricky on that respect,” Abaya told reporters when asked if the US Navy servicemen could be imprisoned for destroying the corals at the Tubbataha Reef as provided in RA 10067, the law that established the Tubbataha Reef National Park.
Abaya said it was accepted in the general practice of international laws that “men of war, foreign naval vessels enjoy immunity, especially if it is in the line of duty.”
“So that has been practiced (worldwide), so it would be difficult on that part,” Abaya said on the sidelines of the Philippine Military Academy  Homecoming in Fort del Pilar. Abaya is a member of PMA Class ’88.
Nonetheless, Abaya said the US Navy would still be sanctioned for the damage its minesweeper caused to the reef that has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
The USS Guardian, which ran aground on January 17, destroyed some 4,000 square meters of corals. But Abaya said the overall damage to the reef had yet to be “assessed” because the ship was still stuck there.
The only way to have an “accurate picture” of the damage is if the ship has been removed, he said.
Abaya expressed hope that the salvaging of USS Guardian would be finished by March, depending on the weather in the area as the personal safety of the crew should also be considered.
Abaya noted that the US government has been “very cooperative and they have immediately apologized… The least they can do is cooperate, become transparent, and share with the people what’s going on.”
Abaya said there was some speculation about how the ship ran aground.
“Some say they probably enjoyed too much of an R&R in Subic. They said there was an error in digital charts. Some say they were doing a different thing there, on their own. This is all speculation so it would be irresponsible on my part to even assume,” Abaya said.
==Palawan remains country’s top seaweed producer==
*Source:http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=711360908409
*Friday, February 15, 2013
:By Victoria Asuncion S. Mendoza (LBR/VSM/PIA-Palawan)
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, Feb. 15 (PIA) -- Palawan remains the Philippines’ number one seaweed producing province accounting for 25.8 percent of the total volume of seaweed production at 451,926. metric tons (MT) valued at P2.8 billion for the year 2012 according to the CountryStat database of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) website.
Palawan’s production made up 98.5 percent of the total volume for the Mimaropa region which accounted for 458,527 MT.
MIMAROPA is second to the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) registering the biggest volume of production at 629,363 MT last year.
The other top seaweed producing provinces are Tawi-Tawi with 319,176MT and Sulu with 214,230 MT, both from ARMM.
The total production last year was a bit lower than 2011’s. The Philippines registered 1.75 million MT last year and 1.84 million MT in 2011. The decrease in production was also recorded in Palawan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.
In an interview with Dr. Romeo Cabungcal, Provincial Fishery Officer of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, he said that seaweeds production is a delicate crop affected by changes in the salinity of water, temperature and the water current.
There were major weather disturbances recorded in 2012 foremost of which were the heavy rains of the “habagat” and typhoon Pablo.
He said that he expects a bumper harvest this year with the support of the provincial government in training of more seaweed farmers and the establishment of more seaweed nurseries by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
==Palawan provincial veterinarian conducts barangay veterinary aid training to fight rabies==
*Source:http://www.zambotimes.com/archives/news/61107-Palawan-provincial-veterinarian-conducts-barangay-veterinary-aid-training-to-fight-rabies.html
*Thursday, February 14, 2013
:(PNA), CTB/DJMG/ABB
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — In a bid to save residents of Palawan from the danger of rabies, the Provincial Veterinarian Office (PVO) recently conducted a training for its volunteer barangay veterinary aids (BVAs) to teach them on how to properly handle the vaccination of domesticated pets and farm animals in their barangays.
The training also aims to teach them on the application of alternative medicines that can be found in their areas, as substitute for common drugs that can be purchased off on drug counters, as well as train PVOs in taking care of their pets and farm animals.
Dr. Carla Limsan and Dr. Darius Mangcucang were in Coron town recently for the training that was participated in by 21 barangay veterinary aide volunteers from several barangays in Coron and Busuanga. Each barangay sent in two participants.
In Busuanga, 38 participants from 13 barangays attended the training conducted for three days, with the third day spent on actual veterinary aiding.
The PVOs also conducted Hemosep Vaccination in the town of Brooke’s Point for large farm animals, such as cattles, carabaos and goats. More than 1,000 of these farm animals were vaccinated in barangays Sarasa, Amas, Aribungos, Tubtub, Oring-Oring, Pangobilian, Mainit and Barong-Barong.
==Palawan IPs file complaint against giant mining company==
*Source:http://www.remate.ph/2013/02/palawan-ips-file-complaint-against-giant-mining-company/
*Wednesday, February 13, 2013 9:59 am HKT
:(Remate)
THE militant group Bigkis at Lakas ng mga Katutubo sa Timog Katagalugan (BALATIK) and its local organization in Palawan, Bagong Tinig ng Katutubo sa Palawan (BAGTIK-Palawan), today filed complaints against Citinickel Mines and Development Corporation (CMDC) in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
“We are filing a complaint because we want Citinickel closed. Its operation destroyed our environment, livelihood, health, and culture,” said BAGTIK Chairperson Fermin Queron.
“From the very beginning, Citinickel did not respect the indigenous people in Palawan. In fact, it operated without even getting out Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). We just woke up one day and saw them constructing their facilities,” added Queron.
“Citinickel had been operational for just a few years now, but we already feel the destruction it caused. It destroyed our rich natural resources. Our mountains which used to be home to different plants and animals are now gone,” said Queron.
“This environmental destruction has direct effects on our livelihood. Yield from our farm decreased by almost 50% because of the destruction of our lands. Fishermen also have lesser or no catch at all especially when the sea turns to red due to laterite,” added Queron.
“The mining operation also has negative effects on our health. We acquire respiratory and skin diseases whenever we use the water from the river. Respiratory problems like cough and colds became common because of the dust from the operation. In fact, last year, 2 children died because of difficulty in breathing,” said Queron.
“Citinickel also destroyed our ancestral land. In fact, their tenement is just meters away from our sacred burial grounds. This shows how they disrespect our culture,” added Queron.
“The operation of Citinickel did not do us any good. We don’t believe its lies anymore. We want it closed. We will not accept anything less than that,” Queron said.
==Female student pilots of Philippine Air Force flying school make flyby mission in Puerto Princesa==
*Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=496695
*Tuesday, February 12, 2013
:(PNA), FPV/JEIB/PJN
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Feb. 12 (PNA) -- Sixteen female student pilots of the Philippine Air Force Flying School (PAFFS) made a flyby mission in this city Monday and awed residents with their meticulous aerial exhibitions using the SF 260 trainer jets.
Garbed in their air force flying uniforms and sporting hard protective head coverings, the female student pilots successfully maneuvered several aerial acrobats, one of which was the diamond formation that sent media men covering the event, and other spectators in wonder and admiration at the Base Operations of the Camp Antonio Bautista Airbase.
The female flying students arrived for the mission from San Fernando Airbase in Lipa City, where they have also been training.
Lt. Christina Bechayda, one of the students, said it has been her dream to fly a plane, and when the PAF offered the opportunity, she immediately grabbed it.
“It’s great to be a part of the Philippine Air Force and fulfill my dreams. Bata pa lang ako, pangarap ko na ang makapagpalipad ng eroplano, and I am thankful that the air force gave me the opportunity,” Bechayda said.
Lt. Noreen Bucsit, on the other hand, said that though many thinks flying aircrafts in the military is a “man’s job,” women who are determined enough can also do the difficult task as long as she is focused.
“It’s a woman’s job too. In other countries, there are already female pilots and here in the Philippines, soon there will be more of us you will know grazing the air and doing our jobs in the Philippine Air Force,” Bucsit said.
2nd Lt. Dearly Ross Mosquero, also one of the flying students, said the opportunity to join the great pilots of the PAF only shows that “there is gender equality” in the country, even in tasks that are only thought about as “for men only.”
“Nakakatuwa kasi nagpapakita ito na may gender equality sa ating bansa,” Mosquero said.
Bechayda, Mosquero and Bucsit said all of them are ready to take on their job as future pilots in the PAF, and hopefully fly jet fighter planes when they graduate from the flying school.
“We are ready to go to war if we’re called to defend the country from enemies, but of course, we hope that does not happen,” Bucsit said.
Lt. Ric Norman Carillo, public information officer of the 570th Composite Tactical Wing at Camp Antonio Bautista Airbase said this is the first time a flyby mission was done by all female student pilots.
The mission, he explained, is part of the students’ Cross Country Training in flying. “This is part of their cross country training and the first time done in Puerto Princesa and Palawan. The Air Force welcomes the female pilots in the air, and in joining us monitor our skies. They can do the task, there is no doubt about it,” he said.
On Wednesday, Carillo said a new batch of flying students will do a flyby mission again in Palawan, and female students will again be part of the group.
==Palawan solar home system program aims to give power to off-grid residents==
*Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=496396
*Monday, February 11, 2013
:By Celeste Anna R. Formoso [(PNA), LAP/CARF/SSC]
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Feb. 11 (PNA) –- Palawan Governor Baham Mitra is continuing the distribution of Solar Home Systems (SHSs) in different barangays in the province, especially to residents who live far from the transmission line grids.
The program, which aims to provide alternative sources of electricity to residents, started distribution recently in Barangays Buliluyan and Taratak in Bataraza; Bebeladan, Manlag and Teneguiban in El Nido town; Tinitian, Rizal, Antonino and Bagong Bayan in Roxas; Alacalian in Taytay; sitio Alaba in Barangay Binudac in Culion and Sitio Ocam-Ocam in Barangay New Busuanga.
Based on the Housing and Basic Utilities Program headed by Engr. Aireen Laguisma-Marcaida, SHSs will also be distributed at Sitio Bubusawin, Aporawan in the town of Aborlan; sitio Gawid, Caruray in San Vicente; barangays Nusa and Magsaysay in Cagayancillo, Barangay Canipaan in Rizal, and Barangays Baras, Batas, and Meytegued in Taytay.
Around 1,475 units of SHSs are expected to be distributed all over the province following the distribution in Salang, Pandanan and Ramos in Balabac; Barangays Decabaitot, Decarabao and Calibangbangan in Culion; sitios Boayan and Binga in San Vicente; Barangays Bohol, Ilian, Danleg, and Culasian in Dumaran; Barangays Cheey in Busuanga; Barangay Kalatagbak in Quezon; isla Sombrero in Aborlan, and Barangay Pag-asa in Kalayaan last year.
Meanwhile, the construction of the Distribution Line Extension from the National Highway to New Guinlo in Taytay that has a stretch of 8.260 kilometers, and 6.5 kilometers in Caramay, Roxas is now being completed.
==Witness’ death won’t weaken case vs ex-gov, says DOJ chief==
==Witness’ death won’t weaken case vs ex-gov, says DOJ chief==
*Source:http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/355095/witness-death-wont-weaken-case-vs-ex-gov-says-doj-chief
*Source:http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/355095/witness-death-wont-weaken-case-vs-ex-gov-says-doj-chief
Prdims
325,636

edits

Retrieved from "https://zamboanga.com/z/index.php?title=Special:MobileDiff/616482"