Catanduanes News

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Province of Catanduanes - Archived News

Mild quake hits Catanduanes

State seismologists on Wednesday recorded a magnitude 4 earthquake in the island province of Catanduanes but no damages or aftershocks are expected.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the quake occurred 27 kilometers southeast of Virac town at 1 p.m.

The quake had a depth of 30 kilometers, the agency said as Intensity 4 was felt in Cabid-an, Sorsogon City; Intensity 3 in Juban, Sorsogon; and Intensity 2 in Virac, Viga, and Bato, Catanduanes and Legaspi City.

DBM releases SARO for 2nd Tranche of PDAF

VIRAC, Catanduanes- Congressman Cesar V. Sarmiento of the lone District of Catanduanes recently revealed that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has finally released the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for the 2nd Tranche of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

According to the solon, the released of SARO is a big thing to ensure the continuous implementation of the programs that he's implementing for the province through the General Appropriations Act, which was approved by the Congress for 2011.

Included in the 2nd Tranche of the solon's PDAF is the fund for the Soft and Hard projects that will surely be a great help to every Catandunganon.

The funds for the Congressional District Office (CDO) assistance programs are included in the soft projects like those given to hospitals such as the Eastern Bicol Medical Center (EBMC) to give assistance to those who are sick.

The College Education Scholarship and Reward (CESAR) Program that grants scholarship to almost 1,800 students from indigent families will also benefit from the funds.

Moreover, one priority of SARO in terms of hard projects is the rehabilitation of the different Barangay Water Distribution Systems in the entire province that benefits around 315 barangays in the end of his first term.

Also included in the hard projects are variety of road concreting projects in barangays, construction of Multi-purpose Halls, rehabilitation of irrigation systems and other infrastracture programs that supports the economy of the island.

40 Bicol towns identified as geo-hazard areas

Forty municipalities in Bicol Region are highly susceptible to natural disasters with the provinces of Camarines Sur and Catanduanes being on top of the lists, the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau office here revealed.

Of the number, 26 municipalities are high risk for flooding while 14 towns are highly susceptible to landslides.

Luis Loyola, MGB regional director, said these areas were identified following the completion of the 50,000-scale Bicol geo-hazard mapping done by his office under the Geohazard Mapping and Assessment Project (GMAP)

A more detailed 10,000-scale map is now being undertaken with the province of Albay as the primary focus, he said.

Arlene Dayao, supervising geologist and head of the Geosciences Division, said geo-hazard maps had been distributed to LGUs, including barangay officials since they are the ones on the front lines.

“We have already informed the local government units of these hazard areas and MBG had conducted series of seminars to explain the details of our findings,” she said in an interview with Media Solutions.

Dayao said it was crucial that local officials of these hazard areas consider the data contained in the maps in coming up with their disaster-risk reduction plans as well as their land use maps to avoid disasters that might hit vulnerable areas.

Local officials should no longer allow human habitation on areas that had been identified as high-risk for flooding and landslides, she stressed.

Based on the geo-hazard mapping conducted by the MGB, almost half of Camarines Sur’s municipalities are classified as high risk areas for flooding, which include the towns of Baao, Bato, Bombon, Buhi, Bula, Cabusao, Calabanga, Camaligan, Canaman, Gainza, Libmanan, Magarao, Milaor, Minalabac, Nabua and San Fernando which are mostly part of the Bicol River Basin.

Dayao said the Bato- Baao areas serve as catch basin of flood waters from Albay before it flow north up to Naga City and San Fernando.

Three towns in Albay- Libon, Oas and Polangui are also classified as flood-prone areas together with the municipalities of Bato and Viga in Catanduanes, Juban in Sorsogon, Mercedez, Talisay and Vinzons in Camarines Norte.

The cities of Legazpi, Tabaco and Naga were classified as moderately susceptible to floodings.

Meanwhile, Catanduanes has been identified as the most landslide-prone province in the region based on the same study conducted by MGB.

“Mainly it’s because rock formations in that province are already old and cracked and many of its mountains are covered with thick soil which erode during heavy rains” Dayao explained.

She also attributed the hazard to the past commercial logging activities that occurred in Catanduanes wherein illegal cutting of trees still happens until now.

Dayao identified the towns of Caramoran, Gigmoto, San Andres and Viga as the most flood-prone together with Manito, Sto Domingo and Tiwi in Albay, Capalonga and Labo in Camarines Norte, Pasacao and Sangay in Camarines Sur, Baleno in Masbate and Juban and Magallanes in Sorsogon province.

The cities of Ligao and Sorsogon were listed as moderately prone to landslides.

Aside from the flooding and landslides, Dayao also warned of another geohazard especially in the province of Sorsogon.

The MGB official said ground subsidence or sink holes are observed in at least three areas in the province, the towns of Gubat and Prieto-Diaz, in the district of Bacon in Sorsogon City and in Guinobatan, Albay.

She said sink hole, which vary in depths, usually occurs when lime stones underground are dissolved and carried away by underground water or when the roof of an underground cave collapses.

Local gov't. re-constitutes steering committee, technical working group for Linggo ng Kalikasan

VIRAC, Catanduanes- Catanduanes Governor Joseph C. Cua issued Executive Order No. 001 series of 2012 signed last January 2, 2012 indicating the re-constitution of the Steering Committee and Technical Working Group (TWG) for the celebration of Linggo ng Kalikasan every month of June.

The said ordinance is also known as the “Ordinance Institutionalizing the annual celebration of the Linggo ng Kalikasan every 3rd week of June in Catanduanes" shall serve as a mechanism to effect positive behavioral change among Catandunganons and rally them towards the protection of the fragile ecosystems of the Province.

The steering committee shall be tasked to provide guidance and exercise general supervision in the conduct of the Linggo ng Kalikasan celebration. The committee shall meet at least once a month starting February of every year until the celebration shall have been concluded.

Thus, the steering committee shall be composed of the following: the provincial governor as the chairman, PENR officer, DENR-PENRO as the vice-chairman, and the members are the Congressional District Office, chairman, SP Committee on Environment, president of the Catanduanes State Colleges, Battalion Commander of the 83rd IB of the Philippine Army, provincial director of the Philippine National Police, Squadron Commander of the 905th Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary and the station manager of the Radyo ng Bayan.

On the other, Special Environment Projects Coordinating Office (SEPCO) will act as the Technical Working Group (TWG).

All expenditures relative to the conduct of the Linggo ng Kalikasan celebration shall be charged against the annual appropriation approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for the purpose, subject to usual accounting, and auditing rules and regulations.

It was also in pursuant with the policy of the provincial government to address various environmental issues through the productive collaboration, consensus-building, and people empowerment.

PRC emergency rescue unit soon to operate 24/7

VIRAC, CATANDUANES- The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Catanduanes Chapter's Emergency Rescue Unit (ERU) is soon to operate 24 hours per day beginning this month, January, 2012.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) aims to render life-saving assistance that will armor the life and dignity especially of the indigent Filipinos caught in defenseless situations. Currently, the PRC offers six major services, such as: Blood Services, Disaster Management, Safety Services, Community Health and Nursing, Social Services and the Volunteer Service.

The ERU, composed of trained volunteers began serving the province last Christmas season with a schedule duty from 7:00-12 midnight last December 17-23 and Dec. 26-31, 2011.

To become an ERU trainee, one must be 18 years old and above; college level; Current holder of Philippine Red Cross Standard First Aid and Basic Life Support (Certificate of Completion); Of good moral character as certified by authority; Physically and mentally fit; Willing to complete 300 hours of duty as a trainee before being certified as an ERU volunteer; Can work under minimal supervision and willing to work in a team.

SO to conduct Labor Force Survey

VIRAC, Catanduanes- The National Statistics Office (NSO) here will be conducting the quarterly Labor Force Survey (LFS) from the period January 9 to January 31, 2012.

The LFS is a nationwide survey of households being conducted to gather data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population. It is geared towards the estimation of the levels of employment and unemployment in the country.

Such survey is designed to provide statistics on levels and trends of employment, unemployment, and underemployment for the country as a whole and for each of the administrative regions.

The importance of the Labor Force Survey are as follows: It provides quantitative framework for the preparation of plans and formulation of policies affecting labor market towards: 1) the creation and generation of gainful employment; 2) reduction of unemployment and promotion of employment; 3) improvement of working conditions; and, 4) enhancement of the welfare of a working person.

Furthermore, it provides statistics on levels and trends of employment, unemployment, and underemployment for the country and regions; data will be used for the projection of future human resource, which when compared with the future manpower requirements will help identify employment and training needs; data will help in the assessment of the potential human resource available for economic development; and it will identify the difference in employment, unemployment, and underemployment according to the different economic, social, and ethnic groups existing within the population.

In the province, 10 sample barangays will be visited: in Virac: Gogon Centro and PLanab del Norte; in San Andres: San Isidro, Batong Plaoway and Putting Baybay; in Baras: Paniquihan, San Miguel; in Caramoran: Maysuram and Icanbato in Pandan: Libod.

Bangko Sentral grants regulatory relief to banks affected by “Sendong”

To assist and ease the financial burden of bank customers adversely hit by tropical storm Sendong, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is granting regulatory relief measures to thrift, rural, and cooperative banks in the affected areas.

Sendong devastated several parts of the country, particularly the Visayas and Mindanao regions, on December 2011.

Eligible for the relief measures are those in the following areas identified by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council which include Region V: Catanduanes; Region VI: Capiz; Region VII: Bohol and Negros Oriental; Region IX: Zamboanga del Norte; Region X: Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental; Region XI: Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte; Region XIII (CARAGA): Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur; and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM): Lanao del Sur.

Similar relief measures were extended by the BSP to thrift and rural/cooperative banks in cities/provinces that were affected by landslide/flooding last September 2011 and previous typhoons such as Frank, Ondoy, Pepeng, Juaning, Mina, and Pedring.

In a statement, the BSP said that its policy-making body, the Monetary Board, has approved some temporary relief measures which include:

1. Reducing the five percent general loan loss provision to one percent for restructured loans of borrowers in the affected areas;

2. Excluding existing loans of borrowers in affected areas from the computation of past due ratios provided these are restructured or given relief;

3. Non-imposition of penalties on legal reserves deficiencies with head office and/or branches in the affected areas;

4. Moratorium on monthly payments due to BSP for banks with ongoing rehabilitation programs;

5. Subject to BSP approval, booking of allowance for probable losses on a staggered basis over maximum of five years for all types of credit extended to individual and businesses directly affected by the calamity;

6. Non-imposition of monetary penalties for delays in the submission of supervisory reports;

7. Allowing banks to provide financial assistance to their officers and employees who were affected by the calamity including those assistance that may not be within the scope of the existing BSP-approved Fringe Benefit Program;

8. Granting of a 60-day grace period to settle the outstanding rediscounting obligations as of December 15, 2011 with the BSP of all rediscounting banks in the affected areas; and

9. Allowing banks to restructure with the BSP, on a case-to-case basis, the outstanding rediscounted loans of borrowers affected by the calamity.

These measures will be in effect for a defined period and covered by additional specific and other prudential conditions, the BSP said.

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