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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.

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:
  1. 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.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

10 Region 12 colleges, universities to hike tuition fees

by (PNA)

FFC/AVE


GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Ten of the 26 colleges and universities in Region 12 or the Soccsksargen Region have set another round of increases in tuition and other related fees starting June, an official of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said. Dr. Eloisa Paderanga, CHED Region 12 director, said they were formally informed of the new fee increases based on documents submitted to their office by the concerned colleges and universities. Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. “We’re currently reviewing the submitted documents based on the guidelines set by the Commission,” Paderanga said. But she pointed out that CHED was not mandated to approve or disapprove the proposed fee increases that were submitted to their office. She said they were only tasked to receive and review the documents submitted by the colleges and universities to ensure that they complied with the requirements, among them the mandatory consultation, involving the new fee increases. “We don’t approve, we just acknowledge them because the (increase in) tuition fees are decided by the owners or the school themselves,” Paderanga said in an interview with a local television station. She did not cite any figure as to the proposed tuition fee increases set by the 10 colleges and universities but she said they were coordinating with them to ensure that the hike would be at the reasonable level. “If we find the increases as too high, we immediately ask their officials to reconsider and lower the rates to just around 10 percent,” Paderanga said. Last year, 20 colleges and universities in the region had raised their tuition fees by four to 10 percent to supposedly cover for the increase in the salaries of their personnel and finance the necessary improvements of their facilities. In January, the CHED central office issued a memorandum detailing the “"Enhanced Policies, Guidelines and Procedures Governing Increases in Tuition and Other School Fees, Introduction of New Fees, and for Other Purposes." The memo specifically laid out the consultation process and the requirements to be met by schools that intend to raise their tuition fees. It cited that 70 percent of the increase in tuition "should be allotted for the teaching and non-teaching personnel not necessarily an increase in personnel compensation." It set the creation of in every region of a Regional Multi-Sectoral Committee on Tuition Fee and Other Schools Fees (RMSCTOSF) to monitor the compliance of schools, colleges, and universities. A National Multi-Sectoral Committee was also formed to oversee the RMSCTOSFs.





Anonymous text message leads cops to bomb in Kudarat gas station

by Edwin Fernandez

Inquirer Mindanao


COTABATO CITY, Philippines—A texter prevented what could have been a tragedy when he alerted the police about an improvised explosive device he discovered inside the rest room of a gas station in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat, the authorities said. Col. Prudencio Asto, regional Army spokesperson, said an unidentified person alerted the police via his mobile phone, about his find at about 5 p.m. Sunday. Bomb experts from the Sultan Kudarat police provincial office responded and disrupted (contained detonation) the explosive device. Police initially suspected the planting of IED was the handiwork of extortionists, but the gas station owner Roger Tabat said he has no known enemy nor has he received any extortion demand. After the IED was disrupted, bomb experts recovered the resulting broken mobile phone and fragments of a rocket-propelled grenade, the authorities said.

Cave Assessment

by mb.com.ph


KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) -- In a bid to conserve, protect and manage caves and cave resources in Soccsksargen region, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here conducted a two-day skills training on cave assessment.

The training held in Maitum town, Sarangani last March 15 and 16 was aimed at providing participants with knowledge and skills in the appraisal of caves to determine appropriate sustainable uses of caves. Participants included some 60 trainees from local government units in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Sarangani, and the DENR.






Skills Registry System gets welcome in Tacurong City

by (contributed by Allan Freno/Tacurong-LGU/DEDoguiles-PIA 12)


TACURONG CITY, Sultan Kudarat, March 23 (PIA) -- Officials of all the 20 barangays of Tacurong, led by their respective chairpersons attended the one-day Skills Registration System orientation conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office 12 last February 28.

It is a nationwide manpower skills registration system which provides adequate and available supply of labor. DOLE is implementing the program in partnership with Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) of Local Government Units (LGU).

DOLE Sultan Kudarat Field Office organized the SRS orientation, which also signaled the launching of the program in Tacurong City. City Mayor Lina Montilla and Sangguniang Panglungsod Labor and Employment Committee Chairperson Benjamin Fajardo Jr. joined the participants in the activity.

DOLE 12 Director Chona Mantilla said SRS helps address unemployment by reducing the job search period and by increasing employability of workers and jobseekers looking for opportunities without really going through the tiring process of personally knocking at prospective employers’ doors.

Supervising Labor and Employment Officer Evelyn Libot of DOLE 12 emphasized the significance of the SRS to the barangays saying that jobseekers from these areas are the farthest from the radar of the employers.

“Through SRS, the government is bridging the gap between the jobseekers and the employers as well as address the problem of jobs mismatch,” Libot said.

She added that, in SRS, a job seeker’s qualifications are encoded in the software and uploaded to the PhilJob.net website for online perusal by employers.

Barangay Tina Chair Ma. Lourdes Bogador hopes that the SRS would truly address the problem of unemployment in her barangay.

“Since many of our skilled workers do not have access to computer and the internet, the SRS will be a great help for our unemployed constituents,” she said.

In line with the system’s launching here, DOLE 12 provided PESO-Tacurong City with one unit of desktop computer which will be used for encoding the jobseekers’ information using the SRS offline skills registration. The offline data will be sent to the DOLE for online posting using the PhilJobnet.

“You would not have provided complete tools to your partner if you do not want a guarantee for the success of the program. I’m convinced that the DOLE is serious and we need to give our commitment to the SRS program,” Mayor Montilla said.

Mayor Montilla, who personally received the computer supplemented the system with the hardware and software and encouraged the barangay officials to actively support SRS in their areas by enjoining all their constituents to register.

LGUS urged to observe risk reduction measures

by Bong S. Sarmiento


KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/21 March)—Local government units in Southwestern Mindanao must now give serious consideration to disaster mitigation and preparedness measures more than ever to avoid tragedies. This was the gist of the recent briefing here on calamity response and geo-hazard maps for LGUs conducted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government in Region 12. Buagas Sulaik, DILG regional director, urged the local chief executives to develop their respective calamity response protocols for the safety of their constituents. Specifically, he noted that the protocols should be harmonized with various sectors involved in disaster risk reduction and management. Sulaik said that with what happened to the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan last December, there should have been lessons learned. He was referring to tropical storm Sendong (international name: Washi), which wrought havoc that killed at least 1,200 people after devastating flash floods swept Northern Mindanao. Sulaik said that Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo has instructed the regional offices to issue weather advisories and calamity warnings to local chief executives. Weather advisories and calamity warnings from the DILG should not be ignored by LCEs even when sent through text message during the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning,” he said. In line with Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, Sulaik said that DILG-12 will also conduct a region-wide training in addressing calamity warnings and understanding area hazards and response for barangays. For his part, Jaime Flores, a geologist at the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 12, presented the various risks confronting the region using geo-hazard maps. “Awareness and comprehension of the hazard settings in the Region will help our LGUs [to prepare]”, he said. The MGB-12 has been distributing geo-hazard maps it started printing last January. Constancio Paye Jr., MGB-12 director, said they target to distribute the maps to all the 1,194 barangays in the region. Also called SOCCSKSARGEN Region, it covers the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. Paye said that villages considered high-risk to flooding and landslide will be the priority in the distribution list. “These maps are vital for each barangay in identifying flood- and landslide-prone areas, in the preparation of the disaster risk and reduction plans, and in identifying safe locations for evacuation,” he said. (Bong Sarmiento/MindaNews)

Army brigade hold outreach program in Tacurong City

by (PNA)

LDV/NYP/EOF


TACURONG CITY, March 21 (PNA) -- The military's 601st Infantry "Unifier" Brigade of the 6th Infantry Division based here has conducted an outreach program and tree planting activities ahead of the March 22 celebration of the 115th Philippine Army anniversary.

Led by Colonel Edmundo Pangilinan, 601st brigade commander, soldiers and infantrymen conducted social services and environmental programs aimed at helping Mother Earth regain its glory for the benefit of the generations to come.

Ahead of the nationwide PA Day, the 601st brigade conducted civic action program in partnership with Tacurong City Mayor Lina Montilla dubbed as "City Hall sa Barangay."

In Barangay Kalandagan, this city, the unarmed soldiers who are also doctors conducted medical and dental services to civilians on March 16.

On March 19, the teams from the Brigade and its line units, 33rd Infantry Battalion and Joint Task Force Talakudong led by Capt. Alex Escalante, brigade information officer, provided services and entertainment such as free haircut, circumcision and film showing.

The team of the Provincial Government of Sultan Kudarat provided medical and dental services, supplemental feeding to the children, agricultural services and band entertainment at Brgy. Calean, Tacurong City.

The Provincial Government of Sultan Kudarat under the leadership of Gov. Suharto Mangudadatu conducted the outreach program to deliver the basic services to the constituents.

On environmental protection, the Brigade together with its line units, has conducted a tree planting activity in collaboration with the Lutayan PNP, Barangay Officials and residents of Barangay Blingkong, Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat.

A total of 250 seedlings of mahogany were planted along the barangay road.

Colonel Pangilinan said the activities initiated by his brigade was part of the Army celebration and will be institutionalized in the brigade so soldiers will become active peace advocates and environmentalists as envisioned by 6th ID Division Commander Maj. Gen. Rey Ardo.





Japan grants 8 new projects worth P34M in Mindanao

by (PNA)

DCT/LDV/GJB


MANILA — Japanese Ambassador to Manila, Toshinao Urabe, is scheduled to sign on March 22 eight grants for socio-economic projects in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao, with major stakeholders in the region’s peace process witnessing the occasion. The Japanese embassy in Manila said this new package of assistance amounting to USD824,653 (about P34 million) forms part of Japan’s commitment to support peace and development efforts in the region. With the funds, four school buildings, two post-harvest facilities with agricultural equipment and a training center will be constructed and a hospital equipment installed. Secretary Teresita Deles, chair of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and Major General Dato Abdul Rahim Bin Mohd Yusuff, the Head of Mission of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) will be among the witnesses. The eight projects are the sixth batch of assistance under the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD) funded through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). J-BIRD was launched in 2006 to pursue Japan’s commitment to the peace process between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Since its launching, Japan has already supported 58 grassroots projects amounting to a total US$ 4.7 million (about P243 million). The projects are located in the municipalities of Magpet, Alamada and Carmen in North Cotabato province, in Sultan sa Barongis, Sultan Kudarat and Pagalungan towns in Maguindanao province, and in barangays in Lanao del Sur province. The Japanese Government is a member of the IMT, with two Senior Advisors for Reconstruction and Development in the persons of socio-economic experts Naoyuki Ochiai and Kei Fukunaga. Japan is also a member of the International Contact Group (ICG), which performs such roles as giving advice to the parties concerned on the peace process and participating in peace talks as observers. In these contributions, the embassy said they exemplify Japan’s active role in the reconstruction and development of Mindanao. ”In this context, Japan strongly supports the efforts by all parties concerned to end the long-standing conflict in Mindanao through the peace process, and strongly hopes that peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will come up with negotiated and peaceful settlement to end the decades-long armed conflict and for the people to earn the dividends of peace,” the embassy said.

SMI donation

by Marvyn N. Benaning


Manila, Philippines – Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) has donated 100 chairs for a public high school in South Cotabato in response to a request for assistance from educators. The chairs were turned over to South Cotabato Gov. Arthur Pingoy recently for the use of the Tantangan National High School (TNHS) in Tantangan. A tree-planting activity to protect the environment was conducted before the handover rites last March 5, with SMI, the Department of Education (DepEd) in Region 12, the South Cotabato provincial government, and Mahintana Foundation participating. SMI said the 100 chairs are part of the company’s P2.6-million donation to the South Cotabato provincial government to support Pingoy’s campaign to address the chronic lack of classroom chairs in the province. The company will also donate more chairs to other schools in South Cotabato in the coming months. SMI is the contractor for the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project (TGCP), one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits. Its mining tenement straddles the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao del Sur, and Sarangani. Once it is operational, the TGCP will be the largest in the Philippines and among the biggest copper mines in the world. As part of the event, a total of 300 acacia and mangyum seedlings were also planted at TNHS by municipal councilors, teachers, parents, and students

4,000 athletes see action in 2012 CRAA meet

by William B. Depasupil, Reporter


GENERAL SANTOS CITY - Some 4,000 athletes from nine school divisions in Region 12 or the Socsksargen Region will see action in this year’s Cotabato Regional Athletic Association (CRAA) meet slated on March 18 to 21 at the South Cotabato Sports Complex in Koronadal City. Deborah Adrales, Department of Education (DepEd) Region 12 director, said the regional games will formally open on Sunday with the traditional parade of the participating delegation and kickoff program, which will be graced by DepEd Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano and top local officials in the area. Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. Adrales said most of the major events such as Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Swimming and Volleyball will be played at the South Cotabato Sports Complex. She said the other playing venues are Mary Mount High School for Archery; Barangay Zone 2 gym for Arnis; Smash Avenue gym for Badminton; Barangay Zone 3 gym for Basketball-Elementary; Koronadal National Comprehensive High School grounds for Chess, Softball and Table Tennis; South Cotabato Cultural Gymnasium for Gymnastics; Barangay Zone 1 gym for Sepak Takraw and Sipa; and the Provincial Capitol gym for Volleyball-Elementary (Boys and Girls). The provincial government of South Cotabato earlier accepted the hosting of the regional games for the second consecutive year. South Cotabato Gov. Arthur Pingoy Jr. said they accepted DepEd’s offer to host the CRAA meet due to its advantage to local athletes as well as the benefits it would offer to the local economy and the business sector. “This is also one way of showing off the beauty of our province and also boost the morale of our athletes being the defending champions,” Pingoy said. The governor said the local government has spent around P1 million for the hosting of the event and the improvement of the South Cotabato Sports Complex’s facilities. (PNA)

Rebel atrocities claim two children’s lives

by William B. Depasupil, Reporter


TWO children, age six and five years old, were the recent victims of the communist New People’s Army’s (NPA) alleged atrocities and total disregard of the safety and welfare of innocent civilians, according to a military spokesman.


Captain Reylan Java, spokesman of the Army’s 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division (ID) identified the bomb explosion victims as Rodelyn Aguirre, 6, and her five-year old sister, Roda. Java said Rodelyn died on the spot while Roda was wounded.

The explosion occurred Sunday at the house of the Rodas in Brgy . Tacayan, Tapaz, Capiz, a known bailiwick of the leftist rebels.

Based on initial report, the explosion was caused by the lapses in the process of assembling of the improvised explosive device (IED) by the members of the NPA.

Reports reaching the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AF) high command in Camp Aguinaldo also showed that at least two unidentified members of the NPA were also seriously wounded during the explosion as revealed by the civilian witnesses.

Java further said that the IED is to be used by the rebels for their terrorist activities in Capiz and other parts of Panay.

Last February 20, the insurgents used IED to bomb the La Casa Transloading Station of Sugarcane Central in Brgy Mianay, Sigma, Capiz for failure to give in to their demand for money.

On August 2011, the NPA members also laid IED when they ambushed the army personnel belonging to the 61st Infantry Battalion in Brgy Switch, Tapaz, Capiz.

They also set up two IEDs near the Igcabugao Elementary School in Igbaras, Iloilo sometime March of 2010 but were recovered by army personnel conducting peace and development works.

Based on military record, a total of seven IEDs were recovered by the 82nd Infantry Battalion in various NPA encampments in Igbaras and Miagao, both in Iloilo province, on 2009.

Earlier, the AFP, through the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) peace negotiating panel, filed a complaint against the NPA’s continued use of IEDs and landmines in its operations in violation of the agreement signed by the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

The use of land mines and IED are prohibited under the Comprehensvie Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

The CARHRIHL is the first of four agreements in the substantive agenda of the peace negotiations between the GRP and the NDF.

Major General Jose Mabanta, Commander of the 3rd ID, based in Camp Peralta, Jamindan, Capiz, appealed to the leadership of the NPA to spare the children from harm and stay away from the communities that choose to live in peace.

“The four decades of armed struggle have only brought senseless deaths and miseries to the lives of innocent civilians,” Mabanta stressed, adding that said social problems in our country can easily be solved in an environment of peace rather than through armed struggle.

In a related development, the military also reported that another IED explosion incident happened yesterday in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat causing injuries to ice drop vendor Raymundo Echona and damage to a passenger bus.

Brig. Gen. Manuel Luis Ochotorena, deputy commander and spokesman of the 6th ID, said that initial investigation the target of said bombing was the Rural Bus Co. for its refusal to give in to an extortion demand by a still unidentified group.

Ex-union brings upland folks water, sense of achievement

by Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper


THE work that they do makes the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (AIDFI) embody the view that there is “no other way but up.”

With the AIDFI’s hydraulic ram pump, a technology that can supply water to upland areas without the use of electricity, residents of far-flung villages in the Philippines have gained easier access to water.

The technology is not new, said AIDFI co-founder Auke Idzenga. But AIDFI made sure it was appropriate for Philippine upland communities.

“AIDFI made some modifications and perfected the technology, so to speak, to make it more suitable and cost-effective for local use. This enables communities to have an energy-efficient system for water supply,” shared Idzenga.

As of September 2011, AIDFI has installed 227 ram pumps, benefiting 184 places in Negros Occidental, Cebu, Panay, Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, and other provinces in the Philippines.

Long-term thinking

The locals form water associations with the assistance of AIDFI. They are also trained by AIDFI technicians to maintain the ram pumps entrusted to their care to ensure long-term benefit, said Idzenga. This way, the locals need not rely on AIDFI for certain technical problems involving the ram pumps.

AIDFI’s reach is not limited to the Philippines. It has also installed ram pumps and trained locals in Afghanistan, Madagascar, Nepal, Cambodia, Colombia, Peru, and Costa Rica.

AIDFI was formed in 1991 by four individuals who worked with sugar workers in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. The foundation was originally a labor union supporting sugar workers who were then recipients of the new agrarian reform program of the government.

Idzenga, originally from the Netherlands but married to a Negrense and a resident of the Philippines for more than 20 years, formed the foundation with sugar union organizer Leonidas Baterna and two development workers, Gina Veloria and Edmund Villorosa.

Their direct involvement with the farmers made them see poverty face to face. One of the many problems they observed was the inaccessibility of potable water and irrigation for rural upland communities.

Idzenga, a marine engineer, found a solution in the hydraulic ram pump.

Apart from the hydraulic ram pump, the foundation developed the treadle pump, hydro battery chargers, ferrocement technologies, biogas, solar heater, essential oil distiller, rice hull stove, rotary weeder, and rice hull carbonizer, among others.

Being able to produce these products is a far cry from the foundation’s humble beginnings in the early 1990s when it was in a constant struggle of looking for funds.

It took courage and patience to promote these technologies, specifically the ram pump, during a time when people did not listen much to small groups like AIDFI.

Its intention was noble but with little money and the death of Leonidas Baterna, one of its founders, the group felt they were shouting in the desert with no one out there listening.

And yet with the loss came a blessing.

Baterna’s daughter, Paz, joined the foundation. Paz served as the head of the AIDFI’s finance department. Paz safeguarded the foundation’s funds and ensured that the money was used according to plan.

About the same time, the group was able to gain financial support from Idzenga’s network and family. They were also able to obtain funding from organizations that support clean and indigenous technology.

It was a long and uphill climb but it was worth it because AIDFI was able to come up with breakthroughs in ram pump technology between 1998 and 2001. After perfecting the ram pump, they expanded into other technologies in 2003 to 2004 and ventured into ram pump installation in upland areas.

True to what it stood for since they started, AIDFI believes that poverty and hunger in the rural areas can be solved through land distribution, agricultural production support, and the use of renewable and cheap technologies.

People at the center

The battle cry has not changed, said Idzenga. But they have chosen to appropriately equip the organization with the necessary answers to address the issues they are fighting for.

“The center (of our work) is people. We organize communities to create ownership of the technology. (In areas where we installed ram pumps), we trained technicians to maintain the (ram pump) system,” he said.

Local government units, non-government organizations, development agencies, and philanthropists pay for the installation. AIDFI trains local people to maintain the system.

Households are organized into water associations, with each household paying P20 to P50 monthly. The money serves as reserve fund for parts and other maintenance costs.

“We keep in touch with the water association through mobile phones and we have Bantay Bukid teams who are constantly in touch with us,” said Idzenga.

AIDFI community organizer for ram pump projects Carlos Allones said they gave direct assistance to about 11 people’s organizations in Negros to organize them into water associations.

Stewardship

“When communities see that the technology really works and is able to provide for their basic need of water, it is natural for them to feel accountable for what they have and ensure that it is maintained. It was not difficult to convince them and draw their support,” said Allones.

Environmental stewardship is also embedded in the culture of AIDFI.

AIDFI insists on tree-planting whenever a ram pump is installed in a region where water supply is at risk due to deforestation.

AIDFI’s way of promoting renewable technology has not gone unnoticed.

Since 2006, the foundation has reaped several awards and recognitions.

These are the Green E-Award of the Department of Energy (December 2006), Ashden Awards from former US Vice President Al Gore (June 2007), Energy Globe Awards of the European Parliament (2008), Community Initiative Category of the Energy Institute Awards (2010), commendations from the Philippine House of Representatives and Senate (2010), BBC World Challenge (2010), and, recently, the Ramon Magsaysay Awards for Outstanding Institution (2011).

With these achievements come the challenge to reach more communities in need of water and to develop more programs that will benefit the poor, said Idzenga.

Lemon grass

A technology-based program that AIDFI also embarked on with two upland barangays in Negros is lemon grass oil extraction and production.

The program is implemented with funding support from GIZ (German International Cooperation, formed from the merger of GTZ or Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, DED or Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst, and InWent).

More than 50 farmers from Barangays Mambugsay and Escalante are growing organic lemon grass in their land, providing them steady income since 2006. This essential oil is sold to another company to be used in their products.

Idzenga said lemon grass only takes two months to grow with fewer inputs compared to sugar cane (which takes about six to seven months to grow). With this, the farmers have additional income between P1,000 and P7,000, enabling them to send their children to school.

Branching out

“We are in a constant process of perfecting our technologies to ensure that the most appropriate technologies are given to those in need. Even without outside funding, we have invested in research and development to attain the best results,” he said.

Moving forward, AIDFI will venture into the installation of 60 ram pumps in six countries within three years in partnership with Green Empowerment.

For AIDFI, trust can be built when interventions extended are based on real needs of people. With the ram pumps, water has been supplied to many rural communities in remote areas. Many poor communities are supplied with a continuous flow of hope that life can be better.

Indeed, there is no other way but up.

Power outages in Mindanao worse next month

by Allen V. Estabillo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/06 March) – The continuing daily rotating brownouts here and other areas in Mindanao are seen to worsen by next month reportedly due to another round of maintenance works set by the National Power Corporation (NPC) on the Pulangi hydro power plants in Bukidnon. Engr. Santiago Tudio, general manager of the South Cotabato I Electric Cooperative (Socoteco I), said Tuesday they received a notice from the NPC that it would shut down the combined 150-megawatt (MW) Pulangi plants by April to pave the way for their scheduled preventive maintenance and river desilting operations. He said they were still waiting for the final notice about the matter from the NPC and power transmission firm National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) but said they were informed in advance to allow them to prepare and properly inform their power consumers. “The 150-MW supply cut will be pro-rated to all electric cooperatives in Mindanao so it means we’ll have extended rotating brownouts by then,” Tudio said. Socoteco I has been implementing hour-long rotating brownouts within its service area, which covers Koronadal City and the municipalities of Tampakan, Banga, Tantangan, Norala, Surallah, Banga, Sto. Nino, T’boli and Lake Sebu in South Cotabato; and, Lutayan town in Sultan Kudarat. This city, the entire Sarangani province and the municipalities of Tupi and Polomolok in South Cotabato is served by Socoteco II, which implemented periodic rotating brownouts lasting about an hour since January. Tudio said that they implemented the rotating brownouts due to the power supply cuts imposed by the NPC and NGCP as a result of Mindanao’s worsening power supply deficit. Based on the power situation outlook released by NGCP Tuesday morning, the island’s power deficit is presently at 154 MW based on the total system capacity of 1,099 MW and the peak power demand of 1,253 MW. But Tudio said they received a separate notice from the NGCP and NPC that Mindanao’s power deficit for Tuesday has reached 240 MW and is expected to increase to 300 MW during the peak hours. Due to the power deficit, he said the NPC was only able to supply 25 MW to their service area out of their contracted supply of 31 MW. He said the situation was even worse in the Socoteco II area, which earlier lost 30 percent of its power requirements or around 30 MW. “But we’re not much affected yet in terms of the rotating brownouts when compared to the almost half-day outages in other areas because of the supply augmentation from Therma Marine,” Tudio said. He was referring to the separate contracts forged last year by both Socoteco I and II with the Aboitiz-owned Therma Marine Inc. (TMI) for a standby supply of 4 MW and 18 MW, respectively. “But overall, our situation is very volatile because of the unstable condition of NPC’s hydro power plants so our group (Mindanao electric cooperatives) is continually working with the DOE (Department of Energy) to find other alternative power sources for us here,” he said. In a meeting in Manila last Feb. 24 to 25, Tudio said Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras informed them that the government will immediately send to Mindanao the two power barges presently stationed at the Navotas port in Manila to help offset the area’s power shortage. The power barges reportedly have a capacity of 40 to 50 MW each, he added. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)

Operatives bust city’s drug dens

by goldstardailynews.com


TACURONG City--A joint operation of Sultan Kudarat Police Provincial Office and Tacurong City Police had busted two drug dens operating in the city at Malvar Extension, Tacurong City on March 1. By virtue of the search warrants issued by Judge Hope Precious Nectar G. Mamon of the City Circuit Trial Court the operatives swoop to the suspects' lair. In the first operation; one Ernesto Caoile, Jr., of legal age, married was nabbed and on the process of search an estimated 25 grams of suspected methamphetamine Hydrochloride locally known as shabu and a dried marijuana leaves weighing 32 grams were recovered.

Police also found one (1) caliber .45 pistol with two (2) magazines full of ammunitions, one (1) caliber .38 revolver with eight (8) ammunitions, marked money at 3 thousand pesos in 5 hundred peso bill, another cash money amounting to 2 thousand pesos was recovered and believe to be the proceeds of illegal transaction and one television set attached to a CCTV camera. On the second operation, suspect identified as Ramil Raquenio was able to escape but four (4) sachets of suspected "shabu" were taken in the process of search. The seach operation were witnessed by the presence of Poblacion Barangay Chairman Antonio Yusay, Kagawad Casama and two (2) local media practitioners. The suspects were both charge for violation of Section 11 of the Republic Act 9265 or the Dangerous Drugs Act. ROSE MUNEZA

Comelec chief wants village officials appointed, not elected

by Charlie C. Señase


COTABATO CITY, Philippines—Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes would rather have barangay or village officials appointed instead of elected. “It is not only cumbersome and expensive, it’s truly problematic in the Commission,” said Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes. The veteran election lawyer, who was here recently for the launching of the ARMM Electoral Reform Summit, said, “the exercise is not only expensive but so problematic. In fact, we still have so many unresolved barangay election cases pending at the office.” Brillantes did not say how much would be needed to hold village polls, which have been scheduled for October 2013. “If I were to decide, it would be more convenient and reasonable that officials in the barangays are appointed,” said Brillantes whose proposal the poll body would endorse to Congress and Malacañang. There were mixed reactions to the Brillantes move, but majority of elected incumbents appeared to be supportive of the idea. “When carried out, it will enhance smoother implementation of programs since the appointees are trusted allies of the appointing authority,” said Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu. Sultan Kudarat town Mayor Tocao Mastura looked at the Comelec proposal differently, saying it might be favorable to the governor or mayor appointing his choice of village officials, but if majority of the villagers therein were opposed, “it kills the democratic process by depriving villagers of their rights to choose.” “Personally, this is good for me as the incumbent mayor, but we should respect the constituents. We should listen to them, for we believe that the voice of the people is the voice of God,” said Mastura, Liberal Party provincial chairman.





ONB eyes 5 branches of Iloilo-based bank

by Nelson C. Bagaforo


AS PART of its expansion program this year, Davao City-based One Network Bank (ONB) is talking with the management of a rural bank based in Iloilo for possible acquisition of, or merger with five of its branches.

ONB president Alex Buenaventura said these rural banks are not "depleted but profitable rural banks." He refused to name the bank while negotiations are still going on.

The targeted branch areas are Iznart in the commercial center in Iloilo City, and the towns of Sta. Barbara, Oton, Tigbauan and Miag-ao.

"We are still talking. This will be our first expansion in the Visayas," he said in an interview Thursday afternoon.

He said the mode of expansion has remained uncertain until such time negotiation with the Ilioilo City-based bank is completed.

"The acquisition and merger, di pa talaga finalized. But we really have to expand in the area. I will know in months time kung ano ang final vote," Buenaventura said, adding that ONB expansion in the area could either be through acquisition/merger or application for five new branch licenses from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

"But we are now in the homestretch of the negotiation. The remaining issue to be resolved is how much," he added.

BSP only allows rural and commercial banks to establish five new branches at a time.

"We are pushing for the acquisition because if we successfully do that, we can apply for five new branch licenses from BSP for Mindanao," he said.

He said if the acquisition will not push through, they have to apply for new licenses for five new regular branches that will be set up in Iloilo.

"Our expansion in Iloilo is already final. So we will set up new branches there by this year. If acquisition won't push through, we will let go of our branch expansion in Mindanao," he said.

Buenaventura said ONB can apply for new licenses as soon it is done with the setting up of five new branches granted by the BSP last year.

"We already opened the three new branches. The remaining two will be opened in April. After that we can apply for another five," he said.

He was referring to ONB new branches in Makati City, the first outside of Mindanao, Esperanza in Sultan Kudarat and Balingasag in Misamis Oirental.

The two other branches that will be opened next month are in Sangali in Zamboanga and Butuan.






Tentorio kin closely monitors murder case

by John Unson


COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Relatives of slain Italian priest Fausto Tentorio are monitoring all developments in the government’s effort to prosecute the killers.

Tentorio, who belong to the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Mission, was gunned down Oct. 17, 2011 while about to board his vehicle in North Cotabato’s Arakan town. He was on his way to a meeting of priests at the Bishop’s Palace in Kidapawan City.

A compatriot of Tentorio, Fr. Peter Geremiah, who is involved in various humanitarian projects in the adjoining provinces of Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato, said Tentorio’s family in Italy are aware that the government is now in custody of the priest's confessed killer, Jimmy Ato, and that he and his three accomplices have been charged with murder.

“They are observing all development pertaining to the case of Fr. Fausto,” Geremiah told reporters.”We keep them abreast on all issues pertaining to the case.”

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed last week at the provincial prosecutor’s office in Kidapawan City the criminal charges against Ato, his younger sibling named Roberto, and two others, Sultan Sampulna and Dima Maligudan Sampulna. The three suspects remain at large.

Geremiah said even the Italian embassy in Manila has persistently been asking for updates on the murder of Tentorio.

“We have long expected the filing of criminal cases against the alleged culprits,” Geremiah said.

The priest said they are, however, “confused” on why the two alleged plotters of the Tentorio murder, Arakan-based entrepreneur-politician William Buenaflor and Chief Inspector Benjamin Rioflorido, who was at the helm of the town’s municipal police command at the time the priest was killed, have both been “delisted” from the complaint sheet that the NBI filed at the prosecutor’s office.

Buenaflor and Rioflorido were both tagged by Ato as among the brains in the murder of Tentorio in a sworn statement.

Ato stated in an affidavit that Buenaflor and Rioflorido were present in several meetings where they planned to kill Tentorio.

“But their names were not included in the list. The NBI agents and the `Task Force Fausto’ told me that their next move is to file murder charges against these personalities,” said Geremiah.

The task force is a special interim investigating body comprised of officers from the Region 12 police office in Gen. Santos City.

Tentorio was to leave their convent for Kidapawan City when Ato approached him, pulled out a 9MM pistol and shot the priest 10 times in different parts of the body.

Lawyer Virgilio Mendez, deputy director for regional operations of NBI’s office in Region 10, earlier said they have sufficient evidence linking the four suspects to the murder of Tentorio.

Environmentalist

Tentorio was critical about the encroachment of capitalists attempting to venture into various profit-oriented projects in supposedly protected ancestral domains of hinterland tribes in Arakan and surrounding towns located at the foot of Mt. Apo.

He gained popularity for his activities, which are meant to generate awareness among tribal communities to protect all natural resources --- forests, rivers and strategic minerals --- that can be found inside tribal enclaves “moneyed outsiders” are interested in.

So popular was the murdered Italian priest that thousands joined the burial march when he was laid to rest at the compound of the Bishop’s residence in Kidapawan City, beside the grave of a slain compatriot, Fr. Tulio Favali.

Favali was murdered by drunken militiamen, led by siblings Norberto and Edilberto Manero, in Barangay La Esperanza in Tulunan, North Cotabato in the late 1980s.





‘Eco-tourism highway’ eyed in South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat

by (PNA)

FFC/AVE


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Feb. 24 (PNA) -- In a bid to enhance their environmental protection and conservation initiatives, the local governments of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat are jointly pushing for the development of an “eco-tourism highway” within the critical watershed of a major river traversing the area.

South Cotabato Gov. Arthur Pingoy Jr. said they have launched a joint study to look into the viability of developing portions of the Allah River’s watershed within the two provinces into ecological and cultural tourism sites.

He said they have tapped the Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance (AVLADA), an environmental body comprising 11 local governments in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces traversed by the Allah River, to spearhead the project.

“We’re looking at developing the existing resorts in the area into eco and cultural tourism havens and later tap them to lead the implementation of protection and conservation initiatives within the watershed areas,” Pingoy said.

The governor earlier joined a tour of several resorts within the proposed “eco-tourism highway,” which was considered to cover the municipalities of Lake Sebu, T’boli, Surallah and Sto. Nino in South Cotabato and Esperanza, Bagumbayan and Isulan in Sultan Kudarat.

Pingoy said the resorts they’ve visited have high potentials of becoming top eco-tourism destinations if properly developed.

“But based on initial estimates, we will need around P40 million to pursue this (eco-tourism highway),” he said.

The governor said they are planning to seek possible financial grants from local and international development institutions for the project’s funding and implementation.

He said they initially sought assistance from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which recently approved a grant of P6.3 million to AVLADA through the Local Government Support Program-Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED).

The project mainly aims to develop eco-tourism as a major economic driver and eventually stimulate economic growth through the generation of eco-tourism related business and job opportunities, an AVLADA briefer said.

AVLADA, which is a recipient of the Galing Pook Awards in 2009, was established as an offshoot of a major flashflood that hit Allah River on September 6, 1995, which left 53 people dead and devastated millions worth of infrastructure, agricultural crops and properties.

Allah River, considered as one of the biggest river systems in southern and central Mindanao, traverses the provinces of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces and drains towards Liguasan Marsh, the Rio Grande de Mindanao and eventually the Moro Gulf.

Based on AVLADA’s records, at least 67 barangays traversed by the Allah River and twin tributary Banga River were exposed to various risks due to flooding problems.

AVLADA’s programs and strategies include capability and institution building, information and education campaign, remote sensing – GIS Mapping, community mapping for barangay development, riparian zone re-vegetation, rainforestation and upstream resource management and sub-watershed adoption and forestland co-management.






Massacre trial hears cop, with limitations

by Angela Lopez de Leon


Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 yesterday allowed Senior Supt. Pedro Austria Jr. to testify but asked prosecution to refrain from asking about the evidence at the massacre site in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao.

Reyes, in her ruling, pointed out that the evidence "post facto" is the subject matter of a "petition for certiorari" filed by the counsel of Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Andal Ampatuan Jr. before the Court of Appeals.

Austria was then commander of CIDG-Region 12.

Prima Quinsayas, a member of the prosecution panel, on direct examination asked Austria about his part in the investigation.

Austria replied that on Nov. 23, 2009, he received a call from Chief Supt. Josefino Cataluña, Police Regional Office 12 director, to report to the Regional Director’s Headquarters in General Santos City and coordinate with Chief Supt. Felicisimo Khu.

Austria said Khu ordered him to proceed to Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat, where a convoy led them to the ambush site.

He told the court that he assigned Senior Inspectors Francis Sonza, Teody Condeza and Serafin Acupan as head of team Alpha, Bravo and Charlie that will assist in the investigation.

Austria noted that on Dec. 5, 2009, Khu ordered him to execute a search warrant on the warehouse owned by the Ampatuan clan.

The hearing ended early due to lack of prosecution witnesses. –






One dead in flashflood in Mindanao

by philstar.com


COTABATO, Philippines (Xinhua) - Flashflood triggered by continual rain left one dead and displaced nearly 30,000 people in the southern Philippines, local officials said today.

In the township of Glan in Sarangani province, five members of a family were swept away by flood water yesterday afternoon, killing Ening Padayag, 37.

Senior police officer Danilo Abataya of the police station in Glan said the victim's husband and three kids survived the tragedy.

"They were crossing a dry creek going home when the water suddenly rose and swept them away," Abayata said.

In the township of Lambayong in the province of Sultan Kudarat, assistant regional director for social welfare and development Gemma Rivera said around 2,000 families or 10,000 people from low lying villages had been affected by flooding since Sunday.

Disaster officials said 14,063 residents or about 2,879 families in 13 villages in the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte were affected by flooding.






Local government moves to contain black bug infestation

by Louie O. Pacardo


TACURONG CITY, SULTAN KUDARAT -- The municipal agriculture office of Kabacan, North Cotabato, is working at saving three rice villages from rice black bug (scotinophara coarctata) infestation.

Dominador M. Bisnar, Jr., municipal seed inspector, told media that the local government is monitoring barangays Osias, Upper Paatan and Kayaga in Kabacan that suffered from the infestation.

Mr. Bisnar said the affected areas -- with 10,000 hectares of rice fields -- are within the seed production area of the municipality.

An ocular inspection had been conducted last week by the municipal agriculture office to assess the extent of infestation. Result of the assessment with recommendations for containment measures is expected this week.

A black bug attack causes the rice plant’s leaves to turn reddish brown, grains become half-empty resulting in crop loss.

Current productions indicate up to 30% output reduction if the black bugs infestation is not contained.

Palay farm productivity in the area ranges from three to four tons per hectare per cropping.

Kabacan is known as North Cotabato’s rice production center.

Earlier, the Department of Agriculture’s regional office also warned farmers of a new rice bug locally called as tiangaw (leptocoriza oryzae) that attacks plants by eating the grain.

Tiangaw, local agriculture officials said, could damage up to 70% of the output if uncontrolled.

Agricultural scientists recommend the following to control rice black bug infestation:

• planting of rice using direct seeding method;

• avoiding planting of fancy rice varieties as it is most favored by the pests;

• practicing intermittent irrigation; and

• mass collection of bugs by farmers in exchange for an incentive.

The local agriculture office is asking the farmers from the affected villages to help monitor the infestation and immediately report changes in the rice plants’ health.





Police: Grenade found at rice mill in Mindanao

by mypinoyshows.com


KIDAPAWAN CITY — Authorities recovered a fragmentation grenade inside a rice mill in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, police reports said.

The explosive, an M26 hand fragmentation grenade, was discovered inside a rice mill owned by Beverly Digal of Purok Kabugwason, Barangay Kalawag-Uno in Tacurong City.

Senior Inspector Jojet Ferrer, intelligence officer of the Tacurong City police, said the grenade was found at the back of a Nissan pickup truck (LCW 553) owned by a certain Rodrigo Rubin.

The vehicle was parked near Digal’s rice mill.

Elements of the Explosives and Ordnance Disposal Team rendered safe the explosive.

Police are investigating the motive and the people behind the incident. — Malu Manar /LBG, GMA News





1 dead, 2 hurt as truck rollovers in Maguindanao

by John Unson


MAGUINDANAO, Philippines – A driver was killed while his two helpers were badly injured when a wayward 10-wheeler truck plunged into a 40-foot ravine along an accident prone stretch of the Cotabato-Davao Highway in Sultan Kudarat town here Monday afternoon.

Investigators of the Sultan Kudarat municipal police said the driver losts control while maneuvering a downhill curve when one of the vehicle’s front tires exploded causing it to wiggle towards the right side of the highway.

Investigators are still looking into the possibility that the truck, owned by a Chinese trader based in Cotabato City, could have been overloaded and that it was the brakes that malfunctioned while gaining momentum while on it descent towards the bridge.

The truck first rammed and totally wrecked a parked motorcycle before it fell from the highway around 4 p.m.

There have been more than a dozen accidents in the same stretch of the highway in the past three years, according to the local police.

The two truck helpers that survived the crash were rush by responding policemen and barangay officials to a hospital in Cotabato City.

The driver of the ill-fate truck was killed on the spot, his body mangled beyond recognition since the left side of its crew cab hit the concrete railing of the bridge first before it plunged 40 feet down.





Police e-blotter in Region 12

by Ali G. Macabalang


TACURONG CITY, Philippines – The Police Regional Office (PRO) 12 launched last week the region-wide rollout of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP’s) computerized crime incident reporting system or the e-blotter. Chief Supt. Benjardi Mantele, Region 12 police director, said Friday they started deploying the e-blotter software in various police stations and offices as part of the full implementation of the new system in the region. Region 12 (SouthCentral Mindanao) covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. “The installation and testing (of the e-blotter software) in our field police stations are presently ongoing and we’re expecting the full use of this system… before the end of the month,“ Mantele said. Mantele and other top police officials in the region initially launched the e-blotter system in simple rites at the PRO 12 headquarters in General Santos City last Wednesday.






Maternal mortality still an issue: UN

by Kim Arveen M. Patria


THE UNITED Nations (UN) urged more local government initiatives to reduce the country’s maternal mortality ratio, citing as an example a birth clinic project in a Mindanao. On Friday, the UN identified a maternal health program in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat as one of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) champion projects for providing pregnant women with regular medical checkups and assistance in treatment and child delivery.

Other projects noted were an organic fertilizer program in Llanera, Nueva Ecija and a mung bean promotion project in San Mateo, Isabela.

In an interview on the sidelines of the event, UN resident coordinator Jacqueline Badcock said the country is "struggling" in achieving the MDG of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three-fourths in 2015 from its 1990 level.

The UN Development Program (UNDP) said in its latest MDG Progress Report in 2010 that while maternal mortality ratio has been on the decline since 1993, "the rate of change is relatively low."

"This might be attributed to the fact that a significant proportion of births were still delivered at home and attended to, not by skilled health professionals but, by the so-called hilots, especially in areas where health facilities with services of skilled health professionals are inaccessible," the UNDP said in its report.

Ms. Badcock said local initiatives similar to the Sultan Kudarat maternal health clinics may be the "biggest factor in reducing maternal mortality."

"If more municipalities would support women to give birth safely, I think we could do a lot to bring down the maternal mortality rate," she said.

Asked about the possible contribution of the reproductive health bill pending in Congress, Ms. Badcock said: "The important part about the legislation is the extra support it will give to mothers giving birth. That’s the main issue for the UN. We want mothers to give birth in safe environments."

Ms. Badcock, however, was upbeat about the country’s progress in achieving other MDGs.

"[There has been] quite a lot of good work on child mortality rates coming down. There have been progress on the gender markers, some movement on poverty... and there’s a lot of effort going into education," Ms. Badcock told BusinessWorld.

The MDGs are areas for development for which the international community has set 2015 as a deadline. These include poverty and hunger, universal primary education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and global partnerships for development.

Sophie De Caen, executive director of the MDG Achievement Fund Secretariat said: "The Philippines is advancing well on child mortality and access to sanitation and water but there is still a lot of work to be done on the education front and on poverty reduction."

Ms. De Caen added that she hopes the MDG Achievement Fund programs will help address some of the problems, "particularly those that are resulting in increased employment."

"[I] really think the MDG [Achievement Fund] is here to be an incentive and to give the seed funding for these various joint programs and then for those to be replicated either by the government or with the help of the other donors that are here," Ms. De Caen said, adding that the aid is set to close in 2013.

The fund, provided by the Spanish government in 2006, provides over $23 million to four MDG programs in the country: youth, migration and employment; access to water; food security and nutrition for children; and climate change adaptation.

Meanwhile, President Benigno S. C. Aquino III said the government is exerting more effort on poverty reduction, education and maternal health, citing as an example the increase in the budget for the Conditional Cash Transfer program.

"This means that more Filipino children will attend school, that more children and expecting mothers will receive regular medical checkups, and ultimately, that more families will receive cash grants to help them with their everyday expenses," Mr. Aquino said in a speech read by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cayetano W. Paderanga, Jr.

The Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda and the Universal Health Care program, both under the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, are also expected to contribute to MDG achievement.






NIA turns over irrigation project in Sultan Kudarat

by goldstardailynews.com


TACURONG City--Rice production in Sultan Kudarat is expected to increase after the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) turned over to the irrigators association in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat the Alip-Lumaga communal irrigation system that covers a service area of 608 hectares in the Poblacion. Sultan Kudarat Irrigation Management Office Manager Ali Satol said during the turn over rites Monday that the Alip- Lumaga Communal Irrigation System (CIS) is the third project in Columbio that the NIA has turned over to irrigators association. The other two were the Dalol CIS and Maligaya CIS. Satol said three more projects are in the pipeline for this year in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat's leading rice producing town.

Satol lauded Columbio Mayor Datu Amir Musali for the assistance extended to NIA and the irrigators association. NIA-12 Regional Manager Modesto Tolentino said the success of the project was due to a tripartite conference involving the local government units, the NIA and the irrigators association. He also lauded the assistance extended by the Department of Agriculture regional office 12. Tolentino challenged the irrigators association and other project beneficiaries to "own it" so that they can help in the maintenance and operation of the irrigation system. "This is clearly a concrete example of how government works for the benefits of the agricultural sector in the countryside," Tolentino said. PNA






Canadian firm, Columbio town to put up coffee plant

by MANUEL T. CAYON / REPORTER


DAVAO CITY­—A Canadian firm is set to develop the country’s coffee business with a P1-billion investment plan to establish one of the major coffee complexes in Columbio town in Sultan Kudarat.

The coffee complex would be funded by the Canadian firm Rocky Mountain Arabica Coffee Corp. (RMACC), which entered into an agreement for a still- undisclosed amount for the establishment of the complex with the municipal government and the Columbio Municipal Employees Cooperative, according to the Department of Agriculture-Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Information Division (DA-Rafid).

 The coffee complex would be the biggest project in the municipality this year, said Columbio Mayor Amirh M. Musali.

Musali, RMACC President Pierre Yves Cote and Cecilio C. Mejia, president of the employees cooperative, signed the tripartite joint agreement on the coffee-production project on January 30.

RMACC was developing complexes and coffee-production areas in Baguio and Cagayan de Oro, and was reported to be investing P1 billion to develop the industry in the country.

DA Regional Director Amalia Jayag-Datukan said the Davao region was the No. 1 coffee producer in the country last year, producing 28,502.96 metric tons, with Sultan  Kudarat the largest producer among the other Cotabato provinces.

“We need to bring Sultan Kudarat, particularly the municipality of Columbio, to reach the global market. If we have our brand name known in the Philippines and in the world, then we have a good chance of making it,” she said.

Datukan turned over assorted fruit and vegetable seedlings, including farm machinery and facilities, to the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion, intended for its units that maintain barangay defense systems in the localities.

Total donation was valued at P1.695 million. 

“This amount was granted to the Philippine Army under the AgriPinoy High-Value Crops Development Program,” she said.

Projects could be availed of through project proposal,” Datukan said. 

The donation consisted of 12 kilograms of vegetable seeds from the DA research outreach stations (ROS); 15,000 pieces of assorted fruits from the DA Balindog ROS; and 10,000 cacao seedlings from the Amas-CEMIARC ROS.

The donated equipment included one small farm equipment, 11 sets of farm implements, 22 pieces of plastic water drums, 2,000 meter of pipes, 22 sprayers, one nursery rehabilitation, and four draft animals.

Army First Lt. Maria Leviste said the beneficiaries of these farm equipment and seedlings were members of the barangay defense system in Columbio.






NIA officials turn over irrigation project in Sultan Kudarat

by (PNA)

FFC/NYP/EOF


TACURONG CITY, Feb. 8 (PNA) - Rice production in Sultan Kudarat is expected to increase after the the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) turned over to the irrigators association in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat the Alip-Lumaga communal irrigation system that covers a service area of 608 hectares in the Poblacion.

Sultan Kudarat Irrigation Management Office Manager Ali Satol said during the turn over rites Monday that the Alip-Lumaga Communal Irrigation System (CIS) is the third project in Columbio that the NIA has turned over to irrigators association. The other two were the Dalol CIS and Maligaya CIS.

Satol said three more projects are in the pipeline for this year in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat's leading rice producing town.

Satol lauded Columbio Mayor Datu Amir Musali for the assistance extended to NIA and the irrigators association.

NIA-12 Regional Manager Modesto Tolentino said the success of the project was due to a tripartite conference involving the local government units, the NIA and the irrigators association.

He also lauded the assistance extended by the Department of Agriculture regional office 12.

Tolentino challenged the irrigators association and other project beneficiaries to "own it" so that they will help in the maintenance and operation of the irrigation system.

"This is clearly a concrete example of how government works for the benefits of the agricultural sector in the countryside," Tolentino said.





Village peacekeepers in Sultan Kudarat get P1.7 M assistance from DA

by Dani Doguiles


KORONADAL CITY, Feb. 7 (PIA) -- Around 1,869 members of the barangay defense system in Columbio Sultan Kudarat recently received livelihood assistance from the Department of Agriculture -12 (DA-12) amounting to almost P1.7 million.

Last week, the DA 12 Regional Executive Director Amalia Jayag-Datukan handed assorted fruit and vegetable seedlings, seeds, farm machineries and facilities -- amounting to P1,695,000 -- to the 27th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.

“This was granted to the Philippine Army under the AgriPinoy High Value Crops Development Program. Projects can be availed here through project proposal,” Datukan said.

Included in the livelihood package were 25 kg of vegetable seeds, 15,000 seedlings of assorted fruits, 10,000 seedlings of cacao, 1 unit of farm equipment, 11 sets of farm tools, 22 plastic drums, 2,000 meters of pipes, 22 sprayers, 1 nursery and 4 draft animals.

Lt. Maria Jessica Leviste, civil military officer of the 27th IB , said the beneficiaries of the livelihood assistance include around 3,000 members of the barangay defense system in Columbio.

These , she said are residents of 11 barangays, most of these situated along the town’s boundaries with Matanao and Magsaysay towns in Davao del Sur and Tampakan town in South Cotabato that have been identifies as New People’s Army-influenced villages.

In an earlier interview, Lt. Col. Alexis Noel Bravo said these villagers have organized themselves into barangay defense systems following the efforts to the Philippine Army in line with their peace and development outreach projects in the area. These barangay defense systems, Lt. Col. Bravo said, have helped the military in maintaining peace and order in their respective barangays.

Lt. Leviste explained that after conducting several community organizing activities in the area, they have decided to extend their help to the members of the barangay defense system by providing them with alternative livelihood that where they could also gain income for their families.

Thus, around the third quarter of last year, the 27th IB, in collaboration with the local government unit led by Mayor Amirh Musali, and the Municipal Agriculture Office submitted a proposal to DA for the livelihood to the local peacekeepers, which Director Jayag-Datukan immediately approved.

The hand-over ceremony was held in time with the inauguration of Columbio town’s public market and transport terminal and the signing of a memorandum of agreement between a local cooperative, LGU, and Rocky Mountain Arabica Coffee Corporation (RMACC) for the development of coffee industry in the municipality. (DEDoguiles/PIA 12)





Philhealth Fun Run “an overwhelming success”

by (DEDoguiles/PIA 12)


KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato Feb. 6 (PIA) -- “It was an overwhelming success,” says Dr. Miriam Cynthia Pamonag, Philhealth 12’s field operations chief, referring to the Philhealth Fun Run - The Mindanao Run for Hope held here yesterday morning.

Some 3,667 runners had registered for the 3K, 5K, 10, and 17K runs in Koronadal City. Hundreds more were allowed to join the fun run despite failure to register.

Philhealth 12 only aimed to gather 2,000 registered runners for the activity.

Among the runners are children, students, marathon runners, athletes, employees of government and private offices, and local government officials of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces.

Local officials were led by South Cotabato Governor Arthur Pingoy Jr. and Koronadal Mayor Peter Miguel who both took the three-kilometer run along with other councilors from Koronadal and Isulan town.

Also present were Mayors Efren Piñol of Magpet, North Cotabato; Romulo Solivio of Surallah, South Cotabato; and Diosdado Pallasigue of Isulan, SK.

The biggest contingent came from the 1002nd Brigade of the Philippine Army based in Malungon, Sarangani.

“Beyond the number of participants we are more elated by the fact the people enjoyed the activity,” Dr. Pamonag said.

“They are happy because they know that they ran not only to have fun but also to save lives of children suffering from cancer,” she added.

Part of the proceeds of the fun run will be donated to the Children’s Cancer Center and Blood Diseases Unit of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).

SPMC, located in Davao City, is the largest tertiary hospital in Mindanao and the only hospital facility in the island that can deliver multidisciplinary care for children with cancer.

The Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth situated in Tupi, South Cotabato will also receive donations from the proceeds of the fun run.

RRCY is being managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development -12 (DSWD). It is a residential facility for children and youth in need of interventions such as children in conflict with law and those who are victims of abuse, drugs, and those in similar situations.

Philhealth 12’s Regional Vice President Ramon Aristoza Jr., said, besides raising funds for SPMC’s cancer and blood diseases unit, the activity was also geared to promote running as an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

“We believe that in this effort, we need to involve the private sector under the concept of corporate social responsibility,” he said.

For the fun run in Koronadal Philhealth was assisted by several sponsors including ABS-CBN, Dole Philippines, All Card Plastics Philippines, Nature’s Spring, Rite Med, Smart Communication, KCCFI - a cooperative based in Zamboanga City, Ace Centerpoint, St. Elizabeth Hospital of Gensan and many others.

Philhealth also got support from professional basketball star Kenneth “Captain Marbel” Duremdes” who stood as Philhealth 12’s poster model for the activity.

Philhealth Fun Run – The Mindanao Run for Hope was simultaneously conducted in six cities: Koronadal, Butuan, Cagayan de oro, Marawi, Zamboanga, and Davao.






SSS Tacurong Sultan Kudarat Branch and Office Hotline

by zambotimes.com/


The SSS Tacurong City Sultant Kudarat branch are currently sharing the overall details together with thier address and contact numbers handed below.

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DSWD-12 eyes more livelihood aid for 4Ps beneficiaries

by zambotimes.com/


GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12 or the Soccsksargen Region plans to create more livelihood opportunities this year for beneficiaries of the national government’s conditional cash transfer program in the area to eventually make them “self-sufficient.” Bai Zorahayda Taha, DSWD Region 12 director, said they are currently drawing up some viable livelihood projects that would offer stable income opportunities for around 148,000 “poorest of the poor” households in the region that have so far benefited from the initiative, which is also known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps. She said the move mainly aims to make the 4Ps beneficiaries in the region become productive and self-reliant once they complete the program’s three-year cycle. Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. Taha said they saw the need to integrate the livelihood component into the program following a survey last year that showed nearly 70 percent of their beneficiaries in the first two phases as still on the “survival” mode despite availing of the cash grants. In their 2011 annual report, the official noted that out of the 17,189 households covered by their social welfare indicator or SWI survey last year, 12,508 or 68.48 percent of them remained on the first or survival level. “Those households will be the focus of the case management to be conducted by the (program’s) municipal links where possible interventions could be drawn to help improve their well-being,” the official said. A total of 4,658 households or 29.66 percent reached the second level or subsistence stage while only four beneficiaries or 0.02 percent managed to become self-sufficient or reached the third level, she said. Taha said the survey covered the first two sets of beneficiaries that were enlisted in the municipalities of Senator Ninoy Aquino in Sultan Kudarat; Maasim and Malapatan in Sarangani; and, Lake Sebu and T’boli in South Cotabato. She said the areas covered by the survey were considered as the pilot areas in the region for the government’s three-pronged anti-poverty convergence strategy, which also includes the Kalahi-CIDSS and the SEA-K programs. Kalahi-CIDSS stands for Kapitbisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services and SEA-K for livelihood program Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran. Taha said they will conduct another round of the SWI survey this year to monitor the changes in the socio-economic status of the 4Ps household-beneficiaries. “The overall impact of the three core programs of the department shall be determined, whether the cash grants as well as other interventions of both the program and its staff augmented the well-being of the beneficiaries,” she added. 4Ps is a poverty reduction and social development strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to “poorest of the poor” households to improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly of children aged 0-14 years. The program provides beneficiaries cash grants of P500 a month for health and nutrition expenses and P300 a month per child for educational expenses. A household with three qualified children could get P1,400 monthly. (PNA) DCT/FFC/AVE


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