Mindoro Oriental Province News September 2011

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Mindoro Oriental Realty

Philippine News

Oriental Mindoro LGUs strategize flood relief program

by. (J.R. Mahusay/Louie T. Cueto/PIA-4B)


CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro, September 29 (PIA) -- Amidst the battering of typhoon Pedring last Tuesday, the local government units (LGUs) in Oriental Mindoro led by the provincial government conducted yesterday a strategy meeting and agreed to formulate long and short term solutions on the province’s perennial flood problem. During the meeting, they agreed to rehabilitate its stream and riverbanks that cause floods on many areas here, especially in this city and Naujan town, through the joint tree planting undertaking to be implemented this second week of October. Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso V. Umali, Jr. emphasized during the meeting he presided at the provincial capitol square here September 27 that while the LGUs in this province are drawing up so many flood mitigation plans, such as the dike proposal as studied by the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD) and the creation of a big Sabo dam which was proposed by researchers from the University of the Philippines (UP), LGU leaders and the concerned or affected sectors should rush the implementation of short and medium term plans to avoid another negative or disastrous effects by this rainy season. Umali noted the massive floodings that were experienced by Oriental Mindoro in 1998 and successively in 2005-2007 should serve as stern reminders to everyone here and to institute a united effort to avert it nowadays and in the near future. It can be recalled that during the last part of 2005 to 2007, thousands of Mindoreños were severely affected and millions of pesos worth of public and private properties such as rice fields and other properties had been destroyed by floods spawned by continuous heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, the former mayor of Naujan town here, Nelson Melgar, reported that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) here is prioritizing the study and immediate implementation of flood control project on another big and critical river here, the Mag-Asawang Tubig River. He said that no less than DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson told them in a letter to Umali that the department is tasking its flood control and Sabo engineering to oversee it.






Umali, Dolor get awards from Oriental Mindoro journalists

by. mpost


Governor Alfonso V. Umali Jr. and Vice-Governor Humerlito A. Dolor have received awards from the Capitol Press Corps (CPC) of Oriental Mindoro for their exemplary performance in local governance.

Umali received a plaque on August 23 from the CPC, through the Capitol Media Board, in recognition of his achievements as governor and his selection as a high-ranking official of several national government bodies, including holding a Cabinet-level post.

Umali is the president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) and the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), national treasurer of the Liberal Party and LGU Member-in-Charge of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

Dolor also received a plaque of recognition for his role as acting governor when Umali was serving a Sandiganbayan suspension order for three months early this year.





New district looms in Oriental Mindoro

by. Madonna Virola

Inquirer Southern Luzon


CITY OF CALAPAN—More leaders in Oriental Mindoro have joined the clamor to create a third congressional district in the province. The Oriental Mindoro provincial board is now deliberating on a resolution urging the province’s two congressmen to file a bill to create the new district, said resolution author Board Member Ramil Dimapilis. House Bill No. 4570, which aims to carve a new district out of the province’s first district, has been pending at the House of Representatives for four months. The bill, authored by first district Rep. Rodolfo Valencia, has the support of second district Rep. Rey Umali. The resolution urging the congressmen to file a measure to create the new district also has the support of Gov. Alfonso Umali Jr., the congressman’s brother, and Vice Gov. Humerlito Dolor, said Dimapilis. Dimapilis said a new district would mean “additional voice to represent Oriental Mindoro in the House of Representatives.” Proponents of the new district said the proposed new district meets the population requirement for a congressional district—250,000 people. In 2007, according to government data, Oriental Mindoro has a population of 750,000 sharing a land area of 4,364 square kilometers. The population is the highest among the five provinces in Mimaropa. By the end of 2011, the population of the province is expected to reach 767,445, said a report quoting the National Statistics Office. Dimapilis said the law now allows Oriental Mindoro to propose a new district since under the Constitution, Congress can reapportion legislative districts within three years following every census. The province’s first district consists of Calapan City, Baco, San Teodoro, Puerto Galera, Naujan, Victoria, Socorro, Pola. The second district is composed of the towns of Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bongabong, Bansud, Roxas, Mansalay, Bulalacao. Under the bill, the new legislative district will be composed of the towns of Naujan, Victoria, Socorro and Pola. Governor Umali said he hoped Congress would act soon on the proposal as a third district would mean “more funds for the province.” Representative Umali also said he believed in the viability of a new district bringing in more development to his province. Valencia said he was also hopeful that the House of Representatives would pass the bill this year and for the measure to reach the Senate by January next year.






Road trip to Mindoro

by. THELMA DUMPIT-MURILLO


First of three parts

ANY public relations practitioner worth his salt necessarily must know his “product” before he can start selling it. And so off we went to Oriental Mindoro as part of a fam tour of Region 4B or MIMAROPA for a look-see and to talk to a couple of SMEs. With my photographer and staff writer in tow, our road trip started at the BOI building in Makati at 6:30 in the morning with the first stop at a gas station on SLEX for breakfast. After a brief repast, we were on our way to Batangas Pier where we would take a Supercat ferry to Calapan City. The roads were good all the way and wished it was like this to all our tourist destinations.

Oriental Mindoro opens its doors to everyone, from the regular travelers and tourists to the businessmen and investors, so says their official website. A visit to Oriental Mindoro accords visitors a peaceful retreat from the complexities of city life. The serene and rejuvenating atmosphere of its white sand beaches and clear blue waters, and the fascinating view of its majestic mountains embellished with lush green forests are wondrous sights to behold. As attested by local and multi-national investors, the island–province is regarded as the new gateway to the south — the Visayas and Mindanao — which paves the way to better business opportunities and exciting tourist destinations. It has now the capacity to be one of our country’s economic centers presently attributed to Subic, Cebu and Davao. Soon, it will be known as a tourism Mecca comparative to Boracay, Palawan and the likes.

You will find a number of hotel resorts to accommodate your travel and tour requirements in the province, as well as links to several lists of ideal tourism sites to complement one’s stay in the island. Through the nautical mile, you can take a ro-ro up to Boracay or Iloilo. Mindoro is the 7th largest island in the Philippine archipelago. It was on November 15, 1950 thru Republic Act 505 that this island was divided into two separate provinces, the province of Oriental Mindoro on the eastern half and Occidental Mindoro on the western part of the province.

Oriental Mindoro measures 4,364.72 square kilometers. It has 14 municipalities and one component city, namely: Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Baco, Calapan City (the provincial capital), Naujan, Victoria, Pola, Socorro, Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay,and Bulalacao. Oriental Mindoro is also known as the “Rice Granary” and “Fruit Basket” of Southern Tagalog. It still is the Banana King and Calamansi King of the region. Its total agricultural area is 169, 603.34 hectares. Based on agricultural statistics, 85, 244 hectares are devoted to palay production while 21, 671 hectares to coconut plantation. The province, for the past years, registered an average of 1 to 2 million cavans as surplus in rice production. Oriental Mindoro, with all these potentials, has become a premium destination for tourists and a fine ground for both local and foreign investors.

We were met by DTI Region 4B Director Joel Valera at Calapan City. After freshening up, we then proceeded to our first SME – Merl’s Suman sa Lihiya factory. Merl’s has been in business for ten years now but like any success story, hers was a product of many years of kitchen testing. Today, she supplies not just local distribution outlets like SM supermarkets and Tiendesitas but her product has already gone across the globe. Merl’s is a perfect example of a social enterprise that is profitable at the same time sustainable. Who would have thought that her business will be able to earn as high as 25 thousand pesos a day on holidays and a low of 10,000 pesos on regular days. You can taste Merl’s Suman sa Lihiya at the OTOP National Trade Fair at the SM Megatrade hall from Sept 22-25, 2011.

Oriental Mindoro is touted as the country’s “emerging eco-tourism destination”. It evokes images of a genuine tropical paradise — white sands, crystal clear water, lush green forests covering majestic mountains and splendid waterfalls. Tamaraw, an indigenous specie of the water buffalo, various flora and fauna found on slopes of Mount Halcon and the native Mangyans, all together add to the richness of nature and culture of the province.

In an article, Minina Servano writes: “When the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they discovered islanders who had their own script and even women who could read and write.

“Eventually the conquerors identified about a dozen different scripts in the archipelago, all originating from India and related to the writing modes of their Southeast Asian neighbors. By the 19th century most Filipinos had replaced their indigenous syllabic writing system or baybayin script with the Roman alphabet of the colonizers. Due to their relative mountain isolation the Hanunuo-Mangyan of Mindoro have managed to retain this indigenous way of writing until the present day, engraving it on bamboo joints or slats with a small knife.

“Out of all the regions in the Philippines and around 110 indigenous peoples (IP) groups in the country, only the Hanunuo and Buhid Mangyan, together with the Palawan and Tagbanwa of Palawan, have retained their original syllabary. The syllabic writing systems of these four IP groups were declared as National Cultural Treasures in 1997, and inscribed in the Memory of the World Registers of UNESCO in 1998.”

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