Albay News October 2015

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Albay - Archived News
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Seal of the Province of Albay
Interactive Google Satellite Map of the Province of Albay
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Location of Albay within the Philippines
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Provincial Capitol Building of Albay, in Legazpi City

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.

Mayon volcano albay province.jpg

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.

Bill declares Albay municipality as ecotourism zone

(PNA), RMA/PR/PJN

MANILA, Oct. 31 (PNA) -- A lawmaker has proposed to declare the Municipality of Jovellar in the province of Albay as an ecotourism zone to generate investment and foreign exchange in the area.

Rep. Fernando V. Gonzalez (3rd District, Albay) said House Bill 5967 will fast track the recognition of the municipality’s hidden wonders and also provide employment opportunities for local residents.

In filing the measure, Gonzalez cited Republic Act 9593 or the Tourism Act of 2009 declaring tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos.

Gonzalez, a vice-chairperson of the House Committees on Bicol Recovery and Economic Development and Transportation, said the Municipality of Jovellar offers tremendous tourism potential such as the Sigpit/Quitanday Falls, caves and underground river and the Quipia River that runs all the way to butanding-famous Donsol in Sorsogon.

“Developing Jovellar into an ecotourism zone will generate investment and foreign exchange in the area and will also provide employment opportunities for local residents. With the influx of tourists, the ecotourism zone will be significant source of business opportunities,” Gonzalez said.

However, Gonzalez said the lack of sufficient lodging and retail facilities and round-the-clock public transportation hinder the socio-economic and environmental development of the area.

Gonzalez said all these problems will be properly addressed once the Municipality of Jovellar becomes an ecotourism zone.

Under the bill, the declaration of Jovellar as an ecotourism zone shall be accorded priority development by the Department of Tourism (DOT), and shall be subject to the rules and regulations governing the development of tourist zones.

The DOT, in coordination with the local government units (LGUs) concerned, and other concerned agencies of the government, is directed to prepare a development plan involving the construction, installation and maintenance of such appropriate faculties and infrastructure, which shall enhance tourism in the area.

The development plan shall ensure the preservation and conservation of the natural beauty and indigenous nature of the area.

Also, consideration must be given to the formulation, development and implementation of programs and strategies that will generate livelihood and employment opportunities for the local inhabitants of the area.

The DOT is likewise mandated to implement the tourism development plan that will suit the natural characteristics of the area and shall incorporate the same in the overall development plans and programs for national implementation.

It shall be the responsibility of the DOT to promote Jovellar as a tourism area in all its natural, regional and local promotion programs.

DOST says SETUP assists thousands of SMEs; creates 115,000 new jobs in 5 years

By Danny O. Calleja [(PNA), LAP/FGS/DOC/CBD/RSM]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 30 (PNA) -- Increased business productivity and job creation are but two of the many benefits of the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), a longstanding enterprise development and technology transfer initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Ultimately, the SETUP -- a development program to empower the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) -- creates a conducive business environment to improve their productivity and increase efficiency through the infusion of appropriate technologies, according to the DOST.

In Bicol, DOST Regional Director Tomas Briñas on Friday said here the program has assisted about 30 MSMEs distributed among the region’s six provinces, which were provided a total funding support amounting over Php20 million in their individual business projects.

These projects passed through the evaluative and learning lenses of an External Review and Technical Evaluation Committee (RTEC) composed mostly of local experts from state universities and colleges and financial and private institutions in the region.

Through the DOST-SETUP, this value-adding initiatives did not only benefit the MSMEs, particularly on their product upgrading and income, but has also provided economic stimulus livelihood opportunities to people in the community such as backward/forward labor complementation, derived demand and others, according to Briñas.

As an agricultural economy, these projects are mainly in support to commercialization of Bicol’s banner ethnic food products such as pili and pinangat that are already making waves in the export market, he said.

On the average nationwide, the DOST-SETUP program assists some 3,000 MSMEs all over the country every year.

For the first semester of this year alone, a total of 1,236 firms have been given assistance and the ripple effect of the program resonates to the creation of nearly 21,000 new jobs, said Briñas who added that from 2010, when the Aquino Administartion began, up to end of the second quarter of this year, a total of 115,445 new jobs were already created.

The program uses a holistic approach to enterprise development by covering all aspects of operating and managing a business in order to improve their products, services and/or operations.

The DOST intervention, through SETUP, Briñas said, includes human resource training; technical assistance and consultancy services; design of functional packages and labels; and assistance in the establishment of product standards, including testing, database management system and technology acquisition.

Firms assisted with technologies are capacitated and become more productive, competitive locally and globally and bankable, thus, empowering more MSMEs as they participate into the mainstream of business activity, he said.

DOST Secretary Mario Montejo in an earlier statement said that the SETUP “is the only government program assisting MSMEs that gives back refunds to the Bureau of Treasury”.

To ensure a high rate of refund by beneficiaries and to uphold transparency and professionalism, SETUP proposals are strictly evaluated by the Regional Technical Evaluation Committee (RTEC) composed of a battery of experts from industry, universities and professional organizations.

They asses the managerial, technical and financial capability and viability of the proponents to take on science and technology (S&T) interventions for sustainability, Montejo said.

According to DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Carol Yorobe, the DOST Regional Offices ensure that funds released to proponents are used for the purpose for which the project was approved and conducts regular due diligence to secure the viability of the project.

DOST regional offices release the fund directly to the supplier when equipment have been procured; while in other instances, the release of funds is done through the bank which, in turn ,releases it only to the proponent when the required equipment to be procured is already available for delivery.

There are also measures in place to address the risk in such transaction.

“The program’s monitoring system follows strict guidelines to ensure compliance by proponents and allow the enforcement of the provisions stated in the memorandum of agreement (MOA) they sign before assistance is given,” Yorobe stressed.

Besides, she said, DOST’s regional and provincial officers and staff regularly visit the projects and monitor their progress as to the proper utilization of S&T interventions, and correspondingly make the necessary improvements, when needed, in systems or in the use of the equipment or the technology to obtain the desired productivity.

Just like other banking and development assistance institutions in the country, the DOST-SETUP has its share of delinquent accounts for there is no perfect system that could guarantee 100 percent refund rate from its borrowers.

“I believe that there is no other program in the country that focuses on improving productivity of MSMEs through technology intervention. Overall, our refund rate runs about 85 percent; but we don’t give up on MSMEs that encounter difficulties to ensure higher compliance,” Montejo said.

In few cases of proponents falling short of expectation, the DOST-SETUP implements a restructuring program, just like ordinary banks, of their refund schedules within the allowable time period.

From 2010 to June 2015, the DOST-SETUP has already recorded a total funding assistance of Php2.2 billion with 29,401 technology interventions provided to MSMEs mostly in the regions, Montejo added.

BPO sector booming in Albay, especially in Legazpi City

(PNA), FPV/FGS/MSA/CBD

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 29 (PNA) -- Albay, particularly this premier city, now boasts of about 20 major players in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, making it a fast-growing business in the province.

Giving much impetus to the industry are the business process outsourcing (BPO), software developers, Internet service providers, telecommunication companies and educational institutions, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Albay provincial office.

Dindo Nabol, DTI-ICT chief, said the five major players mentioned that bravely invested and put up their companies in Albay contributed to the bright prospects of the industry.

Aside from the big-time BPOs, there are a number of “home-based” freelance players engaged in various ICT services.

The BPO industry is categorized into: the voice center, engaged in call centers, and the non-voice, involved in data gathering services.

The BPOs offer services that include call centers, health care, animation, game development and software development.

In Albay, the first BPO to be established was the Matsuoka Projects-Phil. Inc., which was put up in 1993 as Architectural CAD, followed by Content Online Services Inc., (COSI) in 1999 as data processing.

Other major BPO players include: Sutherland Global Services -- call center, data processing; Nolin BPO Services Co., Ltd – call center, data processing, accounting; One Half Phil., Inc -- call center, accounting.

There are also the All Nation e-Language Conversion Inc., (AneLC) -- data processing; SLTCFI BPO Incubation Center – call center, SEO; Dataquest Inc. – Medical Transcription; RAB Out Sourcing Solutions – call center; MTC Academy – medical transcription; and M3 Medical Management Service Group Inc. - medical transcription.

Others are the BDPO Solutions Inc. -- call center, web development; Mayon Outsourcing Solutions Inc. – call center, data processing; Equinox Virtual Solutions – call center, SEO; and Times Telecom Phil. Inc. – call center.

Software development (CORE IT) service companies are those engaged in analysis and design, programming and testing, customization, reengineering and conversion, installation and maintenance, education and training of systems software, middleware and application software.

Companies engaged in software development are: BDPO Solutions Inc; Mayon Outsourcing Solutions Inc.; and Equinox Virtual Solutions.

The BPOs are located in the this city and neighboring town of Daraga and Tabaco City.

Providing support to the ICTs are seven telecommunications companies that provide regular voice/call and GSM/SMS services, namely: PLDT, Bayantel, Digtel, Smart, Globe, Southern Telecommunications Co. (Sotelco), Bicol Telephone & Telegraph (BTTI) and DCTV Cable Network.

For Internet service providers, there are the Globalink; Bicol Web, Inc.; Digitelone; Bayantel DSL and DCTV Cable Network.

Three of the five fixed line telecommunications service providers are all based in Legazpi City, while the other two companies, BTTI and Sotelco, operate in the towns of Guinobatan, Oas and Polangui.

Educational institutions that provide BPOs with manpower requirements are 50 private and one public (Bicol University with 6 campuses within and outside of the province) tertiary schools in Albay.

Five of these institutions -- namely,BU, Aquinas Univiversity, Divine Word College of Legazpi, AMEC-BCCM and Bicol College -- are fully accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) while the rest are mostly schools offering short-term technical courses and are either full-time TESDA accredited or with degree course offerings accredited with the CHED.

CHED and TESDA statistics showed that in 2008, 22,754 graduates finished various degree programs under CHED- accredited schools and universities, while 25,863 TESDA graduates.

Of this number, only 7,268 graduated from ICT-related subjects.

Rosemarie Q. Rey, president of the Albay ICT Association Inc., (AICTA)and concurrent president of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, said the province has a “goldmine” of talents which can bridge the ICT gap.

Rey, who also owns the Southern Luzon Technology (SLT) school, claimed that there is a need to further improve school curricula and make these attuned to the needs of the industry; this way, the schools can supply the industry with skilled and professional ICT graudates.

She said the ICT industry in Albay is moving forward and having bright future despite the challenges brought by natural calamities that have befallen the province.

Rey said in an interview that previously, investors and ICT locators were discouraged to put up their businesses in the province because of a bad perception that the place is a calamity -prone area frequented by typhoons, floods and volcanic eruptions.

Another concerns that need to be addressed, she said, are the readiness, adequacy and reliability of infrastructure support facilities, especially power.

She, however, said that this perception has changed after the province has been tagged as Gawad Kalasag Hall of Fame awardee for Disaster Risk Reduction Management and constantly attaining its “zero casualty” goal during disaster operations.

Meanwhile, the city has proven to local and foreign investors that it is indeed a “liveable” city, Rey said.

“The outlook of the industry is getting better as Albay, especially Legazpi, is almost there and would soon be included in the Ten Next Wave Cities in the country,” Rey said.

She said the ICT industry is a job-generation powerhouse, claiming that 5,000 to 8,000 are employed in various BPO companies, including the home-based online servers.

She said call center agents' monthly salary ranges from Php10,000 to Php30,000.

“This will bring tremendous benefits in terms of employment, improvement of purchasing power and people spending -- making the economy grow,” Rey said.

She claimed that the cost of doing business in Albay is very feasible, citing Albay as a Philippine Economic Zone Authority-accredited area; and that it offers economical rentals in offices and buildings, wage lower than Manila rates and local government's guaranteed support by giving tax incentives.

The ICT industry leader said that as tax incentives, the province and the city grant investors tax holidays for 3-4 years and tax free entry of importation.

Rey said that with the support of local government units by way of incentives, she expects three to five new players to come in every year.

Albay to host Palarong Pambansa 2016

By Michael B. Jaucian (Inquirer Southern Luzon)

LEGAZPI CITY–Albay will host the Palarong Pambansa next year, after winning the bid on Wednesday at the central office of the Department of Education in Pasay City.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, said Albay won the bid because of its accessibility to participating teams, offering less travel time, less discomfort and less carbon emission in the province.

Strong indoor capacity from private schools and commercial malls also helped, he said. Education Sec. Armin Lusitro, along with the Palaro committee, approved the proposal of the Palaro, which would be held from April 15 to 22.

Smart deploys TechnoCarts mobile digital lab at BECS

(TelecomPaper)

Philippines mobile operator Smart Communications has deployed its TechnoCart mobile digital lab at kindergartners at Bacacay East Central School (BECS) in Albay. The Smart TechnoCart is a mobile digital laboratory that provides teachers with new learning tools designed for kindergartners, using mobile devices and applications.

BECS is one of 15 public schools that received mobile digital laboratories called TechnoCarts from Smart. The Smart TechnoCart, which can be easily wheeled from one classroom to the next, contains 20 seven-inch tablets, a laptop, a projector, and a Smart Bro pocket Wi-Fi that comes with an initial load for internet connectivity. The TechnoCart package also includes a 1-year subscription to the learning management system called Smart One Campus. This platform allows school administrators and teachers to track and measure the performance and progress of students.

Each tablet in the Smart TechnoCart comes pre-installed with the Batibot mobile app for literacy aligned with the K-12 curriculum. The app, which can be downloaded for free on Android devices, is designed to help children develop essential thinking skills through fun-filled games.

Smart says individuals and institutions can help bring digital learning to more public school students by sponsoring Smart TechnoCarts. Each TechnoCart package is worth PHP 200,000. “Interested sponsors need to raise only half of this amount to donate a TechnoCart to a public school. Smart will shoulder the rest,” the operator said. Sponsors can be a company, foundation, local government unit, an individual, or even a group of friends.

PGPC holds 'Fun Run for the Sea Turtles 2015'

By Jessaveth Barcia [(PNA), CTB/FGS/JB/CBD/EDS]

TIWI, Albay, Oct. 26 (PNA) -- In celebration of the 52nd Fish Conservation Week, the Philippine Geothermal Production Co. (PGPC) and the Local Government Unit of Tiwi (LGU-Tiwi) jointly conducted a fun run here on Saturday.

The FishCon Week had its theme, "Pinatatag na Batas Pangisdaan, Hakbang sa Pagkamit ng mas Masayang Karagatan."

In partnership with the Environmental Conservation Sustaining Tiwi's Agri-Aqua Resources (ECOSTAR), National Power Corp., Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Tiwi Asenso, Albay Blue Lane, Ascode Foundation Inc. and other partners, a Run for the Sea Turtles campaign was held at the Coastal and Fisheries Learning Resources Center (CFLRC) of Barangay Baybay here.

The event started with a zumba.

Participants from different barangays of Tiwi joined the fun run.

"The aim of this fun run is to show our direction towards the continuous preservation and protection of these sea turtles," Vargas said.

Winners in the event received cash prizes varying from Php3,000, Php 5,000 to Php10,000.

After the event, two sea turtles were released back to the sea off Lagonoy Gulf.

The sea turtles were caught by fishermen last Oct. 21 and 22 along the shore of Lagonoy and were then turned over to the CFLRC for tagging, as a sign that they are endangered and should be protected by every fisherfolk."Once you see a sea turtle and you by chance catch it, you must turn it over to the proper authority for tagging and releasing back to the sea," Leonila V. Coralde, municipal agriculturist of Tiwi, reminded the residents.

Legazpi adopts charcoal briquetting as another industry for the poor

(PNA), CTB/FGS/DOC/CBD/PJN

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 25 (PNA) -- Taking advantage of the technology developed by a research arm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the local government here is adopting charcoal briquetting as an alternative industry for its marginalized communities.

Besides being a livelihood prospect for the poor, this venture will also be part of the city’s solid waste management system in furtherance of its compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

It could also earn for the local government equivalent “carbon credits” under possible new carbon finance schemes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a new financing incentive for reducing deforestation.

Called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Plus, this UNFCCC financing program is expected to be approved by this year, according to latest information from the DENR.

The Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), meanwhile, is offering intensive training and a possible supply chain linkages to local government units (LGUs) through its charcoal briquetting program.

The ERDB is the principal research and development unit of the DENR whose extension activities are focused on the five major ecosystems of the Philippines such as forests, upland farms, grassland and degraded areas, coastal zone and freshwater and urban areas.

It is tasked to provide appropriate technology and information through research, development and extension towards the enhanced productivity and sustainability of natural resources and protection of the environment for the improvement of quality of life of the Filipinos.

Among its latest offerings is the carbon briquetting technology (CBT), as a livelihood opportunity where charcoal briquettes could be produced from biomasses which are normally considered wastes.

This technology does not only save trees from being cut down, but it also serves as strategy for solid waste management in the metropolis and upland areas, according to Salve Coral, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) chief.

Briquetting, she explained, is the process of converting low bulk density biomass into high density and energy concentrated fuel briquettes.

Coral said the biomass charcoal briquetting technology uses a modified kiln and a briquetting machine that can be fabricated locally to produce bio-char from various biomass samples.

Biomass briquettes are made from agricultural wastes and are a replacement for fossil fuels such as oil or coal, and can be used to heat boilers in manufacturing plants.

These can also have applications in rural areas as a renewable source of energy and avoid adding fossil carbon to the atmosphere, she said.

The CBT involves the use of a low-cost effective binder to prepare the briquettes, the CENRO chief added.

DENR Regional Director for Bicol Gilbert Gonzales said the ERDB’s research on the production of charcoal briquette has reached a success level for small communities and it is commendable that the city government is making use of it to provide livelihood opportunities to grassroots communities.

The charcoal briquetting technology is an environment friendly way to generate income that requires low-cost machineries that include carbonizer, mixer, briquettor and dryer which are easy to operate even by a person with disability (PWD). ERDB also offers training sessions on the production of this environment-friendly charcoal out of various biodegradable waste materials and farm refuse such as rice bran, coir pith, sugarcane bagasse, groundnut shells, mustard stalks, jute sticks and coconut husk, among others, according to Gonzales.

The DENR-ERDB’s CBT is also an excellent approach to solid waste management for many LGUs that is why the agency is encouraging as many potential technology adopters across the country, he said.

Through this CBT, he said, the ERDB could be of assistance in LGU compliance to the Solid Waste Management Act that has been a challenge for many municipal, city and provincial governments despite its passage more than 10 years ago.

This bureau is open to sharing the technology to any sector interested as it provides training and free demo as part of its collaborative program in technology transfer and extension, Gonzales added.

The city government is adopting the technology for the livelihood benefits that our poor families could derive from it, city mayor Noel Rosal over the weekend said.

“Insofar as compliance with RA 9003, ours is already in place through our solid waste management program instituted since 2009 with the establishment of our modern sanitary landfill in Barangay Banquerohan,” he said.

The city also operates several materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and with this program, waste management practices have been diligently observed.

These practices, Rosal, said include reduction of waste at the level of households, offices, and business establishments; resource recovery, recycling, and reusing at the barangay level; collection, transfer, and transport of waste at the city level; and management of residual waste at the city level.

According to Coral, the city’s waste reduction has been remarkable through these practices--from 0.5 kilograms of solid waste generated per capita per day in 2009, the amount has been reduced to the present 0.29 kilograms of solid waste generated per capita per day.

From these MRFs, the city mayor said, some of the materials needed for charcoal briquetting ventures can be sourced and help the facility its disposal of recovered materials.

Japanese officials revisit war-era tunnel in Albay

By RHAYDZ B. BARCIA

LEGAZPI CITY: Six decades after the Second World War, Japanese officials revisited the historic war tunnels of Ligñon Hill, which is now a popular eco-tourism destination in this city.

Ligñon Hill is the garrison of Japanese soldiers during the war.

Mayor Seiji Kurashima of Fuefuki City, Japan and other officials visited the 60-year Japanese tunnel on Thursday with Department of Tourism and provincial government officials.

Kurashima was in town for the proposed sisterhood agreement with the provincial government of Albay owing to similar landmarks—Mount Mayon for Albay and Mount Fuji for Fuefuki City.

Maria “Nini” Ravanilla, DOT regional director, said the proposed sisterhood agreement aims to bolster economic and tourism ties between Albay and Fuefuki City.

The Japanese delegation approved the proposal but requested for a translation of the texts of the working paper into Nihongo.

Albay province has several historical Japanese tunnels currently explored by local and foreign tourists including the biggest Japanese tunnel uncovered in Mount Kitwinan in Camalig town.

Albay, Yamanashi explore sisterhood in tourism, DRR, CCA

By Johnny C. Nunez [(PNA), CTB/JCN/EDS]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct 23 (PNA) -- World famous Mt. Fuji in Yamanashi prefecture in Japan and Mt. Mayon in Albay will soon be kins. Both are active volcanoes and enticingly beautiful tourist attractions, even as they are similarly furious and destructive when they erupt.

Officials of Yamanashi prefecture and Albay have started discussions last week on a sisterhood agreement for their two top assets which will benefit their development programs, particularly tourism.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said the “planned sisterhood between two of the world's most beautiful and stunning volcanoes -- Mt Fuji and Mt. Mayon -- is a major marketing coup for the Philippines and the Department of Tourism, and there is no doubt Albay and the whole Bicol region will gain a major boost from this tourism alliance.”

Aside from tourism, Salceda said, the sisterhood agreement also explores partnership in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for which Albay has been a global model, as well as on education, agriculture, trade and investments.

Four representatives from Yamanashi’s Fuefuki City headed by Mayor Seiji Kurishima met with Salceda and other Albay provincial officials October 21 at the Diamond Hotel in Manila and started talks on areas of partnership that could link up their development programs.

With Mayor Kureshima were Fuefuki City Secretary Makoto Hashimoto, Director for International Relations Koichi Kubota, and Tourism Inbound Manager Majed Kmiyama. The group visited Albay province following the Diamond Hotel conference.

The partnership was initially proposed by Salceda earlier this year, in a letter to Gov. Shomei Yokouchi of Yamanashi prefecture, pointing out the noted resemblance between the two provinces, and the possibility of “partnership and collaboration, pooling of resources and expertise.”

“Our provinces have complementary mandates and common interest in the pursuit of our respective missions, and recognize the need to enhance collaborative undertaking of programs, projects and activities to foster and accelerate countryside development,” Salceda said in his letter.

He proposed a partnership “in the fields of tourism, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, education, agriculture, trade and investments, and culture and the arts,” but stressed tourism is bound to immediately benefit from it because of their parallel attractions, particularly between Mts. Fuji and Mayon.

Mount Fuji, Japan’s iconic snow-topped active volcano, situation in Honshu Island, stands 12,380 feet, and is an international destination for tourism and mountain climbing, like Albay’s 8,000 feet high Mt. Mayon, the Philippines’ near perfect cone volcano which is also a magnet for tourists and mountaineers.

Mt. Fuji is a UNESCO Heritage Site, while Mt. Mayon is still tentatively listed. Albay is likewise nominated for a UNESCO Biosphere area accreditation. Fuji straddles the boundaries of Yamanashi prefecture and another province. Mayon straddles the boundaries of Albay’s eight towns and three cities.

Albay is known for its traditional arts such pottery, hand-made metalsmith, Manila hemp or abaca (Musa textilis) woven cloth, and agricultural products like pili nuts (Canarium ovatum) and taro (Colocasia esculenta) leaves.

Salceda said the perfect connection between Mt. Mayon and Mt. Fuji may be dubbed as “Fire and Ice,” with Mayon associated with the image of its crater spewing fire, and Fuji with its snow-capped top. Both volcanoes are surrounded by their respective national parks.

Albay takes pride in its diverse natural attractions, delectable cuisine and fine handicrafts specially its natural endowment.

100-man Team Albay humanitarian mission rolls off Thursday for Casiguran, Aurora

By Nancy Ibo Mediavillo

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 22 (PNA) -- Well-wishing Albayanos will send off the 100-man Team Albay humanitarian mission at the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) Operation Center at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The humanitarian mission, Team Albay's 14th, is bound for Casiguran, Aurora which suffered much from the wrath of Typhoon "Lando".

The send-off activity will be led by Dr. Cedric Daep and Regional Director Raffy Alejandro of the Office of Civil Defense-Bicol because Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda is in Pampanga for the meeting of the various Regional Developments Councils all over the country.

Before the send-off program, Daep will give a final briefing for the team.

He said the mission's convoy is composed of more that 10 vehicles and is expected to reach its target destination in 16 hours.

The group will temporarily rest in the Aurora State University before proceeding to the Casiguran town proper.The Team Albay humanitarian mission will last for 10 days and will return to Albay on Oct. 31, before the All Saints' Day.

The group is bringing along with them water filtration machine, water lory, medical supplies and equipment, trucks and other vehicles.

It is divided into three sub-groups: the water and sanitation, medical and logistics.

The water and sanitation unit is composed of 58 members and headed by engineer Dante Baclao of the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO).

Of the 58, 14 are from the PEO, 14 from the Provincial Health Office (PHO), 6 from the General Services Office, 2 from the Bureau of Fire Protection and 22 from the Armed Forces of the Philippines -- 8 from the Philippine Army, 8 from the Philippine Air Force and 6 from the Philippine Navy.

The medical team is composed of 14 volunteers from the PHO and 10 from the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital.

The logistics sub-group will be headed by the APSEMO, supported by 4 from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, 2 from the OCD, 4 from Barangay Oro Site and 4 from media.

Daep said the Team Albay has chosen Casiguran, Aurora because it needs more the services of a humanitarian mission as a result of the devastation caused by Lando.

It was also requested by the Province of Aurora, he said.

The APSEMO chief underscored the importance of the Team Albay mission.

First, he said, it is in accordance with the provision of RA 10121 or the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Law.

"We are compliant with the provision under the new law that the local government unit may assist another LGUs hit by calamities for as long as they place their area under a state of calamity," Daep said.

Second, he added, the Team Albay is implementing the inter- complimentary effort strategies.

He mentioned the third as the desire of the team to help other LGUs that have a different experience from Albay, saying that this will strengthen the capability of the province, particularly in the aspect of DRRM strategies.

Lastly, Daep said, the collaboration and coordination of Team Albay with other government agencies aims to further strengthen the teamwork in the province at any time, whether during emergency, calamity or ordinary times.(PNA) RMA/FGS/NIM/CBD

Albay nabs Top Destination Award in PATA CEO Challenge 2015

(PNA), JMC/ANP

MANILA, Oct. 21 (PNA) -- The province of Albay in the Bicol Region on Tuesday (Oct 20) was proclaimed winner of the Top Destination Award in this year’s Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) CEO Challenge 2015.

PATA, recognized as the biggest travel organization in the world said that Albay will receive an inaugural USD1 million for nabbing the top award in the Regions/States/Provinces category.

Aside from Albay, Thekkady, Kerala in India was granted the Top Destination Award in the category of Second and Third Tier Cities.

According to PATA, the two winning entries will work with PATA CEO Challenge 2015 partner TripAdvisor to develop and create digital marketing campaigns to showcase their destination to a global audience, valued at USD500,000 each.

They will also receive other benefits including a complimentary pass to the PATA Annual Summit 2016 in Guam, USA on May 18-21, free stand space at PATA Travel Mart 2016 in Jakarta, Indonesia from September 7-9 and extensive international brand exposure through a variety of well-established PATA communications channels.

The PATA CEO Challenge 2015 Top Destinations awards will be presented at the forthcoming PATA Aligned Advocacy Dinner in London on Nov 2.

Expected to attend the event is UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai, as well as other high-level dignitaries and senior executives from TripAdvisor.

PATA CEO Mario Hardy said that it was difficult to choose only two winners, as the organization received excellent submissions from destinations both near and far.

“All the submissions had unique stories that every traveller should get to know and experience,” Hardy said.

“The two winning submissions had the most authentic, culturally diverse and innovative offerings but needed the most assistance in helping promote these assets,” he added.

TripAdvisor Global Display Sales Vice President Martin Verdon-Roe for his part said that he took pride in promoting wonderful travel destinations to the global travel community.

“Working with PATA on the PATA CEO Challenge, we are very pleased to be supporting the two winning destinations, Albay, Philippines and Thekkady, Kerala, India,” Verdon-Roe said.

“(They) both have fantastic tourism offerings that we will now work together on to showcase their story to the world,” he added.

TripAdvisor will work with both winners on creating marketing campaigns designed to ensure that they are effectively utilizing the digital environment to encourage travelers to visit their destination.

They will also benefit from TripAdvisor’s knowledge, experience and proven global digital penetration. The company will also support the winners by helping small and local hospitality businesses to get listed on TripAdvisor.

The PATA CEO Challenge 2015, which embraces the diversity of heritages, cultures, customs and natural beauty of destinations, aims to promote and enhance the number of visitors to emerging destinations and to enhance tourism development in a sustainable manner.

1st Mayor Noel E. Rosal Phil-Cycling Nat’l Open holds trial on Oct. 24

By Emmanuel P. Solis [(PNA), RMA/LOR/FGS/EPS/CBD]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 20 (PNA) -- At least 100 hundred cyclists from South East Asia and local sport enthusiasts have expressed intention to join the 1st Mayor Noel E. Rosal Phil-Cycling National Open trial on Oct. 24, Mayor Noel E. Rosal said in an interview Tuesday.

The Philippine Sports Committee and the Philippine Olympic Committee, through the Phil-Cycling Organization, chose Legazpi City as the venue of the national open trial.

The road race will be divided into the following categories: the 150-kilometer Elite Category; the under 23 Category, also 150 kilometers; and the Women Category, 75 kilometers.

The route will start at the city’s boulevard in Barangay Dapdap, pass through the municipalities of Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan, Pio Duran and go back to the cities of Ligao and Tabaco, then to the municipalities of Malilipot and Sto. Domingo until the finish line in Legazpi boulevard.

The Run and Bike or the Duathlon category will also be included in the event to be participated in by sportsmen aged 50 years old and above.

The road race will start with a six-kilometer run from the boulevard, followed by a 26-kilometer bike going to some parts of Manito and a final four-kilometer run going back to the boulevard.

Through this event, the Phil-Cycling Organization, an umbrella group of all the cycling clubs in the country, will choose the best cyclist who will compete in an international sports event.

DSWD launches livelihood skills training for 4Ps beneficiaries in Bicol

(MAL/SAA/DSWD5/PIA5/Albay)

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct 19 (PIA) – Some 819 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) participated in the grand launching and orientation of the livelihood skills training under the Sustainable Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) amidst the crowded venue and the humid atmosphere.

The activity was held at the People’s Hall, City Hall Compound, Naga City Wednesday last week in coordination with the Naga City Government, Polytechnic Institute and the Metro Naga Public Employment Office. Present during the event were City Mayor John Bongat, Kagawad Jun Lavadia, President, League of Barangay Captain and PESO Manager Ruel Oliver.

In his message, DSWD Director Arnel Garcia urge the beneficiaries to be serious in the training field they have chosen as it will be their stepping stone in gaining either open or self-employment which will eventually help improve the family income.

He also thanked the Naga city government headed by Mayor John Bongat for the support extended to the department’s effort to fight poverty through the implementation of the different anti-poverty programs like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the Sustainable Livelihood and the Social Pension, among others.

Garcia shared that the DSWD has transferred fund to the LGU of Naga the amount of P8.7M to fund various livelihood skills training program such as: organic piggery management cum meat processing, automotive servicing, welding, slaughtering services, household electronics, commercial cooking, dressmaking, candle making, hair dressing and nail care.

The DSWD, through the Project Development Officers, conducted the Participatory Livelihood Issue Analysis (PLIA), a process which will help identify the skills interest or the training needs of the participant.

Each training participant will receive P275.00 as allowance for transportation and meal. Starter kits will also be provided.

This will depend on the need or the kind of training undertaken. The beneficiaries who have completed the training will either be referred for employment or micro-enterprise.

Albay hosts PATA tourism conference, firms up stature as PHL lead destination

By Johnny C. Nunez [(PNA), JMC/JCN/SSC]

LEGAZPI CITY (PNA) -- Albay will host the New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2015, organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) on November 25-27 at the Oriental Hotel here.

It bested other major bidders in the Asia Pacific Region to host the meet. The event will be jointly presided over by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez and PATA Corporate Executive Officer Mario Hardy.

PATA, the premier travel organization in the Asia Pacific, has close to 1,000 associate groups, education and hospitality agencies, tourism destinations, as well as corporate, government and industrial links; and about 70 aviation carriers as partners.

Aside from more economic benefits for their province, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said the forum venue in Legazpi City also further firms up Albay’s reputation as a leading Philippine tourism growth area and a showcase in transcending the ill effects of climate change through novel approaches to tourism promotion, among others.

Salceda has been asked to discuss the forum’s theme, “Ecotourism: Transcending Climate Change.” He is expected to share with foreign delegations Albay’s experiences, particularly its highly effective climate change adaptation and tourism strategies.

The forum will bring together world tourism experts and players in Albay to discuss current and emerging issues related to adventure, travel and responsible tourism, in the face of threats of weather disturbances brought by climate change. It also aims to share with participants new insights on eco-tourism, market updates on emerging destinations, and practical knowhow in tourism management.

“As host of PATA 2015, Albay shares its unique experiences in transcending the inevitable effects of climate change,” Salceda noted. The United Nations has declared Albay as its Global Model in climate change adaptation (CCA) or adapting to the impacts of climate change. After suffering 46 percent damage in 2006, the province quickly recovered by using tourism as one of its principal tools for reconstruction.

The November forum in Albay serves as the opening salvo for the destination-based objective of “Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016,” the country’s first massive retail-focused tourism campaign, with Albay and the Department of Tourism (DOT) as partners in the endeavor.

DOT has declared Albay as the Philippines’ fastest growing tourist destination. It posted an impressive 47 percent tourism growth in 2012; 66 percent in 2013; and 52 percent in the second quarter of 2014. Considered amazing was the surge of foreign tourist arrivals to 339,000 in 2014 from only 8,700 in 2006.

Within that same period, Salceda initiated the construction of some 320 kilometers of roads which provided access to new, unique and exotic tourism destinations.

For pioneering novel tourism programs that made Albay a national partner in developing tourist destinations with global tourism standards, the DOT honored Salceda with its First Tourism Award early this year.

The New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2015 in November offers special free registration to tourism groups’ representatives to whom it aims to impart practical knowledge and skills in running their respective organizations.

Salceda said the PATA forum has added up to Albay’s whole-year round of international events and some 20 festivals, dubbed as Planet Festival, which promise truly enjoyable experience to visitors. Last February, Albay hosted the world popular XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon which was participated in by 307 foreign and Filipino triathletes. It hosts the sports event for three years.

The province has been the venue of many international conferences last year, among them the 26th joint meeting of the United Nations World Trade Organization (UNTWO) Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and its Commission for South Asia, and the UNWTO-ASEAN International Conference on Tourism and Climate Change.

Bicol prepares for 'Lando'

(PNA), RMA/FGS/MSA/CBD

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 17 (PNA) -- Bracing for moderate-to-heavy rains that could affect five Bicol provinces, disaster authorities here have gone on a “red alert” status for possible floods and landslides in low-lying and mountain slopes areas, the Bicol Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) said Saturday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, in its latest bulletin, has added Albay to the three Bicol provinces under signal number 1.

This prompted the RDRRMC to enforce the “no sailing at sea” policy, suspension of classes in the elementary and secondary levels in affected provinces, said Bernardo Rafael Alejandro, Office of Civil Defense regional director and RDRRMC chairperson.

The RDRRMC has also placed on stand-by alert its Water Search and and Retrieval Operation assets for any eventuality.

All sea travels were cancelled In Albay and Catanduanes and flights in Catanduanes from Manila have been suspended since Friday.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported that as of 5:30 a.m. Saturday there were at least 249 passengers still stranded in the ports of Albay (185), Catanduanes (29), and Camarines Sur (35) while 39 bus, trucks and small vehicles including 7 sea vessels were stranded.

The RDRRMC report as of 6 a.m. Saturday indicated that all major road networks in Bicol were passable while power, water and communications were on normal operation.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has stockpiled 30,000 or Php11.1 million worth of family food packs to be given to local government units at any given time.

The Department of Education has identified and prepared evacuation centers.

The Department of Health has placed all government hospitals on “White Alert” status, activated command/operation centers, prepositioned Php664,500 worth of drugs and medicines.

In Albay, Gov. Joey Salceda on Friday issued an advisory suspending classes in all levels, and activating the MDRRMCs of three cities and 15 towns, placing them on full alert.

The advisory also warned residents in low-lying and mountain slope villages to be vigilant against floods and landslides.

Residents living near river channels were likewise warned not to cross swelling rivers and flood ways.

DTI-Bicol holds regional consumerism challenge

By Connie B. Destura [(PNA), RMA/FGS/CBD]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 16 (PNA) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bicol will hold the 4th Regional Consumerism Challenge for high school students on Monday to stimulate the level of awareness of students on consumer laws, rights and safety.

One of the objectives of this activity is to enhance the interest of the students on consumerism and to strengthen the linkage between the DTI and the Department of Education in providing consumer education, according to Jocelyn LB. Blanco, DTI Bicol regional director.

The activity to be held at 1 p.m. at the CTE Hall, Bicol University, Daraga, Albay also aimed to develop sensible student-consumers who can make better decisions, Blanco said.

The DTI wanted the public, particularly the youths, to get involved and participate as consumers, she added.

For this year, the Regional Consumerism Challenge (Final Round) will be participated in by the 12 winning schools in the Provincial Consumerism Challenge held in the provinces.

These are Albay -- Mary’s Child Science-Oriented High School and Zamora Memorial College-High School Department; Camarines Norte -- Magsaysay National High School and Jose Panganiban National High School; Camarines Sur -- Unibersidad de Sta. Isabel and Naga City Science High School; Catanduanes -- Bato Rural Development High School and Calatagan High School; Masbate -- Cataingan National High School and Liceo de Masbate; and Sorsogon -- Abuyog National High School and Donsol Comprehensive National High School.

Winners will receive the following prices: Champion, Php15,000 plus plaque; 1st runner-up, Php 10,000 plus plaque; 2nd runner-up, Php7,000 plus plaque; and 3rd runner-up, Php5,000 plus plaque.

Non-winners will also receive Php2,000 each.

Legazpi to share unique tourism products during PATA forum hosting in November

By Danny O. Calleja [(PNA), FPV/FGS/DOC/CBD]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 15 (PNA) – Globally recognized as the City of Fun and Adventure, this key Bicol urban locality will share to delegates and guests its unique tourism products as it plays host to the First New Tourism Frontier Forum 2015 of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) this November.

Deeply honored by PATA’s choice of the place as venue of this grand gathering of international travel industry stakeholders, Mayor Noel Rosal on Thursday said it would serve as another milestone in the city’s quest for prominence in tourism.

“Indeed, Legazpi is an exciting destination not only for its being home to the majestic Mt. Mayon but also for its irresistible tourism products, ranging from natural wonders to world-class facilities,” he said.

Tourists, according to him, visit the city nowadays not only for the breathtaking view of Mt. Mayon, one of the world’s most active volcanoes made famous by its magically-configured perfect cone form, but also for its sparkling metropolis loaded with heavy tourism-related activities and exciting places to relax, play and enjoy a healthful living.

The city is also recognized as a “convention capital”, owing to its attractiveness as venue of big formal gatherings such as international conventions, conferences, meetings and reunions.

A statement reaching here from its headquarters in Bangkok, PATA said the forum will explore various topics including Climate Change Mitigation and the Role of Tourism, Marine Tourism and the Implications for Water-Reliant Operations, Global Adventure Travel Trends, ASEAN for Adventure: Where Boundaries are Endless, Crisis Management and Risk Reduction for New Destinations, and the Power of Ecotourism: Best Practices and Models for Implementation.

Furthermore, its last session, which will be on Interactive Marketing, a “Treasure Hunt” will allow delegates to explore how to make a destination discovered in the dynamic world of digital, mobile and new travel behavior, using tools and insights gained from the previous day’s Technical Tour and Treasure Hunt.

“Delegates attending the PATA New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2015 will land in the City of Fun and Adventure – Legazpi City in the province of Albay in the Philippines – known for its perfectly cone-shaped Mayon Volcano, once a nominee for the New 7 Wonders of Nature,” the statement said.

It also acknowledged the city’s successful hosting last year of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) ASEAN International Conference on Tourism and Climate Change.

The PATA Frontier Forum will be held at the Oriental Hotel here on Nov. 25-17.

The same statement also announced that Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. will address its opening.

It said Jimenez, who is responsible for the country’s highly successful tourism campaign, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”, will speak on the “Successful Destination Marketing Campaign – Trend in this digital economy”.

“This forum is timely and relevant as we step up our marketing efforts for our destination-based campaign and as we launch Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016 –which is going to be the most massive retail-focused effort the Philippines has ever made. Destination marketing is a daunting task as it involves selling an experience, both tangible and intangible,” Jimenez said, as quoted by the statement.

The Philippines prides itself of having a unique biodiversity, rich natural resources, and wide variety of product offerings for tourists.

“But most of all, we have the Filipino people—the country’s most important asset—to thank for, who serve as the PDOT’s partners in building our brand and fulfilling the promise of a more fun Philippines,” Jimenez added.

PATA chief executive officer (CEO) Mario Hardy said in the statement that the association is extremely delighted to have Jimenez open the event, as his experience and expertise on how to market a destination is something all industry stakeholders should learn from, especially when trying to market a new emerging destination.

“In addition, we also have a very broad and dynamic range of speakers who confirmed for the event, and delegates can be assured of coming away with practical skills and knowledge to take back and apply to their organizations, especially through the Technical Tour and Tourism Marketing Treasure Hunt,” Hardy said.

Among the confirmed speakers for the event are Chloe Harvey, international coordinator, Green Fins/Reef World Foundation; Maeve Nightingale, manager, Capacity Development, Mangroves for the Future, International Union for Conservation of Nature-Asia Regional Office, Ecosystems and Livelihoods Group; and Andy Cornish, Global Shark Programme Leader, WWF International.

Others are Sylvain Gianni, general manager of Asiaventure Services; Willem Niemeijer, founder and chief executive office (CEO), Khiri Travel Co., Ltd.; Struan Robertson, CEO, SpiceRoads Cycle Tours; Lucas Nunag, owner, Amarela Resort and Chairman of Bohol Provincial Tourism Council; and Masato Takamatsu, managing director and chief research officer, Japan Tourism Marketing Co.

PATA is composed of 87 government, state and city tourism bodies; around 31 international airlines, airports and cruise lines; 612 educational institutions and hundreds of travel industry companies in the Asia Pacific and beyond.

With the theme “Ecotourism—Transcending Climate Change”, the First New Tourism Frontier Forum 2015 would bring together here hundreds of tourism professionals to share insights and experiences on marketing industry growth in new and emerging destinations.

Thousands of travel professionals, representing PATA's 43 active chapters worldwide will participate in a wide range in this forthcoming event to discuss emerging issues related to adventure travel and responsible tourism, a PATA statement said.

According to DOT Regional Director Maria Ong-Ravanilla based here, PATA is a non-profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.

DA trains Bicol farmers on commercial garlic production

By Danny O. Calleja [(PNA), LAP/FGS/DOC/CBD/EDS]

PILI, Camarines Sur, Oct. 14 (PNA) -- The regional office for Bicol here of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has rolled out commercial production of garlic in the region through a training recently held in Albay.

The undertaking is under the agency’s High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), an intervention falling under the application of Republic Act 7900 or the High-Value Crops Development Act of 1995, which allots funds for providing production assistance, technology transfer, marketing and processing that now steer farmers towards generating more income.

In the HVCDP, assistance to producers concerning crop insurance, credit, post-harvest facilities, good seeds and planting materials and fiscal incentives are also provided.

Abelardo Bragas, the DA Bicol regional executive director, on Wednesday said the training cum hands-on demonstration on garlic production was conducted last week at the Albay Research and Development Center in Barangay Buang, Tabaco City.

It was attended by around 200 farmers, municipal agricultural officers and agricultural technicians from Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate -- three of the Bicol provinces initially being eyed into commercial garlic production owing to their vast lands suitable to the crop and favorable climatic condition, according to Bragas.

Bicol, due to its geographical location and physical environment, is among the country’s most disaster-prone regions, being constantly visited by typhoons and monsoon rains that cause floods during the wet season.

On dry season, drought is another problem confronting the region.

These weather events, Bragas said, serve impacts on the agriculture sector, increasing the need for more resistant, sustainable and efficient production systems -- and one is garlic cropping in the fallow period after rice which the DA has identified as a good practice option (GPO).

This is to reduce the impacts of climate variability and risks associated with extreme weather events and enhance livelihood security by augmenting household incomes, and promote crop diversification, he said.

Garlic, according to the DA regional chief, is a cash crop with a quick return on investment as it requires minimal labor input so that on a small plot, a family household member can provide the labor.

Fallow cropping of garlic after rice is, thus, considered as a GPO that can both increase the ecological (improved soil quality) and socio-economic (source of additional income) resilience of farming households, especially in disaster-prone regions like Bicol, he said.

Through active participation and involvement of local stakeholders and end-users in both training and field demonstration activities, the project identified fallow cropping of garlic as a location-specific and appropriate option for climate change adaptation in the region.

Cultivated during the fallow period on the same field, the rotation cropping scheme was aimed at utilizing the remaining nutrients on the rice field and interrupting the cycle of plant pathogens and insect pests in rice-based farming systems in low elevation agro-ecological zones, he explained.

“We really need to produce more garlic in Bicol to augment the only around 9,000 metric tons being produced annually by Filipino farmers, meeting only a tenth of the annual demand,” Bragas said.

The spice is a highly nutritious vegetable with very few calories, containing trace amounts of other nutrients that contribute to its universal status of a powerful, beneficial healer while its natural medicinal ingredient, both as a fresh plant and supplement, can strengthen immune function and boost overall well-being.

Garlic’s delicious flavor and health benefits have led to a steady increase in demand, bringing in an average garlic consumption per capita per year at two pounds.

The body-strengthening effects of this herb are thought to be due to its active ingredient allicin that gives its distinctive taste and smell.

Allicin, the organic compound in garlic, has the ability to stop the damaging effects of radicals and kill bacteria, according to studies which say that its decomposed form — sulfenic acid produces a fast reaction with radicals, which makes it a valuable herb for treating acne scars, skin diseases and allergies.

It also treats hair loss due to its extremely high sulfur content that supplies keratin, the protein hair is made of; fights common cold with its allicin; lowers blood pressure and risk of heart diseases; improves bone health; and enhances physical performance, the same studies show.

DA offers Php8-M awards in search of RICEponsible champions

By Danny O. Calleja [(PNA), RMA/FGS/DOC/CBD/EDS]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 13 (PNA) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) is offering over Php8 million in prizes for winners in its ongoing national search for RICEponsible Champions.

The search is an initiative to encourage government organizations (GOs), local government units (LGUs) and higher education institutions (HEIs) to have their own “Be RICEponsible” campaign in order to promote the non-wastage of rice and the consumption of healthier rice in their own areas.

The competition will honor top three champions in each category which will receive prizes in the form of grants and cash worth up to Php1 million.

The search has three major categories -- GOs; LGUs with provincial, municipal and city sub-categories; and public and private HEIs.

Each category should be composed of at least 10 participants and must achieve at least 50-percent awareness, of which 50 percent must have at least one behavior change.

Each office can be represented by either a unit, division or affiliate like canteen, office or school organization, but only one competitor can represent the office or branch.

Judging of entries will be based on Content Packaging and Visibility of Materials (15 percent); Creativity and Innovativeness (10 percent); Effectiveness in Creating Awareness (20 percent); Effectiveness in Creating Behavior Change (35 percent); Sustainability (15 percent); and Presentation (five percent).

For GOs, the champion will receive Php500,000 while the second and third prize winners will receive Php350,000 and Php250,000, respectively.

For LGUs, the provincial, city and municipal champions will each receive Php1 million while the second and third prize winners will each receive Php500,000 and Php300,000, respectively.

For HEIs, the winners will receive same cash amounts as for the LGU winners.

Interested institutions can use any activity, affair, event, strategy or information material to promote the campaigns based on these 4Ks basic messages: Konti-konting kanin muna para walang matira; Kumain ng brown (unpolished) rice; Kakaibang kanin naman (consumption of rice mixed with other staples; and Kilalanin at pasalamatan ang mga magsasaka sa pamamagitan ng pagpapahalaga sa bawat butil ng kanin.

The contest aims to encourage GOs, LGUs and HEIs to promote responsible rice consumption through an in-house or local campaign -- to promote better health through healthier rice, lessen rice wastage and boost farmers’ morale that will altogether contribute in the achievement of rice self-sufficiency in the country.

The DA Bicol regional office based in Pili, Camarines Sur said in a statement reaching here Tuesday that the contest period started last Aug. 1 and will end on July 31, 2016 with a report of the contestants’ activities and strategies, detailing the range of the campaign reach either in scrapbook, video, or narrative forms.

The deadline for the submission of reports is on Aug. 31, 2016, after which a post-evaluation site visit will be conducted in September and October 2016.

All winners will receive a plaque, a RICEponsible seal, and the equivalent prizes in the form of grants that will sustain the Be RICEponsible advocacy.

Awarding will be held in November 2016 during the National Rice Awareness Month.

Taking off from the National Year of Rice 2013, the Be RICEponsible is an advocacy campaign that aims to promote the responsibility of every Filipino to their bodies and to our country involving rice production and consumption, DA Regional Executive Director Abelardo Bragas said in the statement.

The campaign informs everybody, particularly the consumers, on how they can help the country achieve rice self-sufficiency, Bragas explained, adding that to be RICEponsible, “a consumer does not waste even a single grain of rice, eat brown rice and rice mixed with other staples, and appreciate our rice farmers by thanking them literally or valuing the fruits of their labor.”

A farmer can also be RICEponsible by way of planting rice and adopting recommended technologies to increase his farm’s yield and income, according to Bragas.

A policy-maker, to be RICEponsible, on the other hand, can help institutionalize the availability and default serving of half cup of rice to prevent wastage and give consumers more options or help promote the production and serving of healthier rice such as regular milled rice, brown rice, and rice mixed with other staples.

The search for RICEponsible National Champions, Bragas said, is being carried out by the DA and its Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) which is a chartered government entity that helps develop high-yielding, cost-reducing, and environment-friendly technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

BuB provides Ligao City farmers starter kits for organic farming

By Danny O. Calleja [(PNA), LAP/FGS/DOC/CBD]

LIGAO CITY, Oct. 12 (PNA) –- An insured carabao plus various farm implements for organic farming formed the organic crop production starter kit that each of the 200 local farmers has received from the city government through supplementary funds derived from the national government’s Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Process.

The carabao life insurance, with premiums paid out of the same fund to the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., will ensure that the animal is replenished in case of death from causes beyond the control of the farmer.

Other components of each starter kit are carabao vitamins and dewormer, a kilogram of African Night Crawler (ANC), a manual rake, hoe and spade that are all necessary tools for the conventional manner of land preparation and tilling required by organic farming.

The ANC, known scientifically as Eudrilus eugeniae, is considered as the most efficient composting earthworm in the tropics and one of the most common species of earthworm that have been identified worldwide as having the best potential for breaking down organic materials.

Ahead of this kit distribution, Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua on Sunday told the Philippines News Agency that the city government, through its agriculture office, provided these 200 recipients with a two-day organic rice production training which served as a prerequisite for them to qualify to the grant.

On-farm technical assistance and veterinary services for the carabaos will also be provided by the City Agriculture Office as the recipients’ farming activities progress under the close monitoring of a team organized for the purpose, she said.

“These are to ensure that the farmers really become more productive in their organic farming activities and their earning capability enhanced for increased purchasing power leading to their liberation from the bondage of poverty,” said the lady mayor as she expressed keenness in keeping her locality’s growth in agricultural productivity sustained.

Earlier, the city government was acknowledged by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as among the few local government units (LGUs) in Bicol making use of funds received from the GPBP in agricultural productivity.

The acknowledgement came as the DSWD recently released the latest tranche of the fund also commonly called the Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) for its Sustainable Livelihood Program, a community-based capacity building initiative that seeks to improve the participants’ socio-economic status.

The GPBP being applied by the Aquino administration is a somewhat modern approach to planning in the use of government’s financial resources that is different from the usual top-down budgeting where the high-level executives make all the decisions in fund dispensations.

This scheme provides the opportunity for grantees to be involved in setting their own goals and expectations for a given financial period and gives them ownership of the decisions, motivating them to meet budgetary constraints that otherwise might seem unattainable or unrealistic if they were delivered by someone without as much understanding of their day-to-day operations.

The GPBP exercise was started in 2012 through the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster and the Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Cluster as an strategy that hopes to empower civil society organizations and citizen’s groups to engage local government and national government agencies and make them more responsive to the people’s needs.

This city is among the 79 of the 120 LGUs in Bicol assured of Php45 million in extra funding for three years (2014-2016) for use in GPBP-driven initiatives such as projects which include agri-livelihood projects, farm-to-market roads, irrigation and other agri-infra facilities, among others.

These LGUs automatically qualified for the GPBP for having met the requirements, such as being the recipient of the Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Seal of Good Housekeeping and implementation of Public Financial Management Improvement Plan as determined by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Bicol for this year has been allocated by the DBM a total of Php1.7 billion in GPBP funds distributed for release to LGUs and other beneficiaries by 14 line agencies -- including the Departments of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Education, Energy, Health, Labor and Employment, Transportation, and Trade and Industry, aside from the DILG and DSWD.

In acknowledging the city’s no-nonsense use of the fund, DSWD Regional Director Arnel Garcia said the city’s organic agricultural productivity projects are exceptionally laudable since it ditches the old way of “hand-feeding” patronage and conforms with the proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.

Unlike most LGUs which use their GPBP allocations in infrastructures projects whose usefulness are only for a certain period of time, he said, this city’s use of the fund in providing skills training, farming technology education and farming kits is of lifetime worth for the individual beneficiaries as well as the community, which would gain in terms of food sufficiency from their enhanced longtime productivity.

Rep. Fernando Gonzalez, who has been working closely with the national government in providing Albay’s third congressional district which he represents with wide opportunities for its farmers to produce and earn more through farm modernization, also lauded the city government’s initiative, citing the importance of organic crops production.

The district covers this city and six other agricultural and coastal municipalities.

“While our district is the rice granary of Albay, it is also of utmost need that we produce other crops such as vegetables, especially organic, to sustain local food sufficiency and contribute more to the country’s food security program of the administration of Pres. Aquino,” Gonzalez added.

Lights now beam at Legazpi City’s southern boulevard bridge’s rail

By Emmanuel P. Solis [(PNA), FPV/FGS/EPS/CBD/SSC]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 11 (PNA) -- Night visitors who want to experience the soft touch of the sea breeze will be more delighted with the presence of newly installed lights at the rail of the 250-meter long city’s southern boulevard bridge at the front of the Albay Gulf in Barangay Dapdap here.

Patterned after that in Xiamen City of China, the city’s tourism bridge is durable, rust-free and considered as the lighting land mark of the city.

Legazpi City Mayor Noel E. Rosal, who on Friday led the ceremonial switching of the lights, said the project will serve as lights signage from the bridge, which is visible from a distance of ten kilometers.

“It will give more attraction to all the viewers and other visitors to the beauty of the boulevard, especially during night time. It is also very important to fishermen from other neighboring provinces and municipalities because if they see the lights while catching fish at night time, then they can easily see that they are already approaching Legazpi City,” he added.

The city chief executive said his administration will install similar lights at the other bridges along the coastline of Legazpi City to encourage the different tourist personalities to always visit the place and prove to them that the boulevard has a perfect ambiance, well lighted at night, clean and free from air pollution.

The city’s southern boulevard is considered as one of the longest boulevards outside Metro Manila, stretching five kilometers from the Embarcadero de Legazpi commercial complex to the coastal areas of the villages of Dapdap, Puro and Lamba.

It is a four-lane concrete road with an expansive shoulder of two paved lanes at both sides and now serves as the favorite venue for biking, walking, jogging, running and other forms of physical activities.

Rosal said his administration, through the Department of Public works and Highways Bicol regional office, also has an on-going construction of another 2.7-kilometers road to serve as the northern boulevard from the coastal areas of barangays San Roque, Baybay, Sabang and Pigcale.

It is designed to protect the lives and properties of the residents from the impact of storm surges during typhoons.

Part of the construction of the project is the putting up of a 380-meter-long reinforced concrete deck girder bridge that will connect the road going to the regional offices in Barangay Rawis and in the first district of Albay and some municipalities of Camarines Sur province, Rosal pointed out.


Three inmates escape Tabaco, Albay police station, manhunt on

(KG, GMA News)

Police are conducting a manhunt for three inmates who were able to escape from the Tabaco City Police Station in Albay, a report on Balitanghali on Saturday said.

The inmates escaped Friday by climbing a wall, video from closed-circuit television showed, the report said.

The three inmates are facing charges involving illegal drugs. They were also slapped with charges of illegal possession of firearms.

The inmates were identified as Rendell Ryan Carbonel, Virgilio Bonaobra Jr., and Mark Anthony Yacat.

Police said they discovered the inmates were missing when they saw the bars of the jail cell have been broken off.

The bars apparently were sawed off.

Police are investigating how a saw was brought inside the jail cell.

38 new Bicolano entrepreneurs join Trade and Travel Fair in Mega Mall

By Mike de la Rama [(PNA), FPV/FGS/MDR/CBD]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 09 (PNA) -- Thirty-eight new Bicolano entrepreneurs have joined the Annual Trade and Travel Fair on Oct. 8-11 at the SM Mega Mall Metro Manila to showcase the best of Bicol's handicraft, foods, apparels, homestyle products, ceramics, pottery, jewelry and other Bicolano products.

This event was organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, OK and is aimed to promote locally made products to foreign and local tourists.

DTI Bicol information officer Bem Berango said the 38 new entrepreneurs have undergone a series of training provided by the DTI in Bicol to make their products more competitive.

"We are happy to announce that we have new Bicolanos who are determined to help boost our local industry and compete in the global market," Berango said.

According to her, the requirement for joining the event is to undergo a series of training conducted by DTI.

"We need to equip our entrepreneurs with skills and knowledge to make their products competitive and marketable both in local and international markets," she said.

Berango advised other young business entrepreneurs not to engage in business if they are not familiar with the market.

"Think of a business which you think is closer to your heart with passion," she said.

Berango also said that the DoT-Bicol has invited foreign tourists and various companies to support the trade and travel fair.

This is also an opportunity for them to establish their business partnerships and networks, she said.

Albay mourns passing of Bicolano ex-senator Joker Arroyo

By Connie B. Destura [(PNA), FFC/BNB/FGS/CBD]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 8 (PNA) -- The Provincial Government and the people of Albay grieve the demise of their beloved Bicolano senator, congressman, human rights activist and former executive secretary Joker Arroyo of Baao, Camarines Sur.

In his Facebook account, Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda expressed his sympathy in behalf of the Albayanos on the passing of Arroyo.

To honor his historic contribution to the nation and to the region, Salceda said he hereby asks all flags in public offices to remain in half-mast until Arroyo is buried.

Arroyo, 88, became the representative of the first district of Makati City for nine years and served as senator from 2001 to 2013.

He did not use his PHP200-million annual Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel allocation.

Arroyo was born in Naga City in Camarines Sur on January 5, 1927.

DSWD-Bicol launches YDS in Albay

By Connie B. Destura [(PNA), JMC/FGS/CBD]

ANISLAG, Daraga, Albay, Oct. 7 (PNA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched the Youth Development Sessions (YDS) as a parallel intervention to the Family Development Sessions (FDS) of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) at Anislag National High School (ANHS) here.

Almost half of the total population of 2,212 students of the ANHS consist of children of beneficiaries of 4Ps.

Commissioner Percival Cendena, National Youth Commissioner for Luzon, said the YDS is a modular session to motivate the adolescents in attending and finishing their education.

It aims to help the youth be equipped with appropriate knowledge, attitude and skills to face developmental challenges, see available opportunities and overcome possible risks to aid in achieving optimal and holistic development.

"It aims to develop responsible decision, meaning, what they decide now will have a big impact on their future," Cendena said.

Modular sessions for discussion in grades 7, 8 9 and 10 of the ANHS will be on Changing Body, Teenage Pregnancy and Substance Abuse.

The sessions will be conducted once a month and will be used as a conditionality for the 4Ps program.

Aside from the required attendance in the monthly YDS, students must also maintain a grade and have at least 85 percent of the annual class attendance.

"We want that all children of 4Ps members must be engaged in YDS. We are recruiting youth volunteer that will devote their one-and-a-half hours every month to be a development facilitator," Cendena added.

The YDS will be conducted in a school-based setting during weekdays within class hours.

As of June, there are 377,252 beneficiaries of 4Ps in the Bicol Region.

Albay has 78,276 beneficiaries; Sorsogon, 61,182; Masbate, 75,872; Catanduanes, 15,620; Camarines Sur, 113, 296 and Camarines Norte, 33,006.

PATA New Tourism Frontiers Forum to be held in Legazpi, Albay next month

By Azer N. Parrocha [(PNA),CTB/ANP]

MANILA, Oct 6 (PNA) -- Legazpi, Albay will host the New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2015 of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the biggest travel organization in the world, from Nov 25 to 27.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said in a statement that Albay is a fitting host city since it is a United Nations Global Model for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.

Albay is ranked among the 1st Class Provinces in the country and among the fastest growing tourist destinations in 2013. Legazpi also recently hosted the UNWTO-ASEAN International Conference on Tourism and Climate Change.

Aside from being home to the perfectly cone-shaped Mayon Volcano, Legazpi City is also known as the “City of Fun and Adventure.”

The forum will be led by DOT Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr., Secretary who will deliver the opening address and speak on the “Successful Destination Marketing Campaign Trend” at the Oriental Hotel in Legazpi, Albay.

Jimenez described the forum as “timely” and “relevant” as the department stepped up its marketing efforts for its destination-based campaign and its launch of Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016 next year.

“Destination marketing is a daunting task as it involves selling an experience, both tangible and intangible. The Philippines prides itself of having a unique biodiversity, rich natural resources, and wide variety of product offerings for tourists,” Jimenez said in a statement.

“But most of all, we have the Filipino people—the country’s most important asset—to thank for, who serve as the PDOT’s partners in building our brand and fulfilling the promise of a more fun Philippines,” he added.

PATA CEO Mario Hardy for his part expressed delight in the DOT chief granting his presence to open the event.

“We are extremely delighted to have Secretary Jimenez open the event, as his experience and expertise on how to market a destination is something all industry stakeholders should learn from, especially when trying to market a new emerging destination,” Hardy said.

“In addition to Secretary Jimenez, we have a very broad and dynamic range of speakers confirmed for the event, and delegates can be assured of coming away with practical skills and knowledge to take back and apply to their organization,” he added.

Tourism star awardee and Albay Governor Joey Salceda will meanwhile close the event tackling the theme of this year’s forum: “Ecotourism –Transcending Climate Change.”

Salceda has gained a well-deserved reputation for his commitment to Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.

"Albay is globally recognized by United Nations as the model for adapting to the impacts of climate change,” Salceda said.

“As host of PATA 2015, Albay shares this unique experience giving hope and guidance in transcending the inevitable effects of climate change," he added.

Albay observes World Teachers Day

By Nancy Ibo Mediavillo [(PNA), JMC/BNB/FGS/NIM/CBD]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 5 (PNA) -- Educators in Albay celebrate the World Teachers Day Monday at the Provincial Sports Complex in Travesia in the town of Guinobatan.

Dr. Bibiano Sentillas, Department of Education Albay Division schools superintendent, said more than 7,000 public and private school teachers joined the occasion with the theme "Empowering Teachers, Building Sustainable Societies".

Aside from teachers, non-teaching personnel of the schools in the entire province also joined in the event which started with a Mass.

A parade, program, sports, contests and recognition of teachers completed the activities.

The occasion was attended by Dr. Helen Llenaresas who was guest of honor and speaker.

Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda, whose parents were both mentors, paid tribute to all teachers in the world, whom he called the real heroes for giving almost their whole life in the molding of not only the students but also the entire family, the community and the country.

Sentillas thanked Salceda for his full support to DepEd-Albay. He said the continuous support of the provincial government of Albay and other local government units in the province would be their inspiration to improve their tasks.

Greater cooperation needed to achieve inclusive development in Asia Pacific region -- Paje

By Irene A. Solmirano [(PNA), CTB/FGS/IAS/CBD/SSC]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 4 (PNA) -- Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje on Sunday called for greater cooperation among 21 member-economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to unlock the full potential of the so-called "blue economy" and achieve inclusive growth in the region.

"We envision a regional cooperation to narrow the gap in economic development of our economies while sustaining growth with equity," Paje said in an emailed press statement to the Philippines News Agency, quoting his opening remarks during the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Food Security and Blue Economy at the Iloilo International Convention Center in Iloilo City.

The forum, scheduled Oct. 4-5, is co-hosted by the DENR and the Department of Agriculture.

Paje, a Bicolano from Guinobatan, Albay, underscored the need to narrow the economic gap among APEC nations, noting that the region currently "comprise economies at varying levels in the development spectrum."

"There is a need for us to cooperate and address this wide economic gap," the DENR head stressed.

Paje said the two-day forum provides "an opportunity to discuss concrete and feasible actions to advance sustainable management and conservation of our coastal and marine ecosystems and habitats, and improved biodiversity to support higher fisheries productivity and provide better ecological services."

He said the focus of the meeting is anchored on one of the four priority themes of the Philippines, the host country of this year's APEC meetings, which is "Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities."

This specific theme, the environment chief said, contributes toward the three other themes, namely: the enhancing of regional economic agenda, fostering the participation of small and medium enterprises in regional and global markets, and supporting and investing in human resources.

"We firmly believe that these initiatives will expand our efforts in making the theme of the host economy APEC Philippines 2015 'Building inclusive economies, building a better world’ a reality," Paje said.

He added that harnessing the blue economy is most important in the Asia-Pacific considering that the region's marine resources account for two-thirds of the world's capture fishery production and 80 percent of the world's aquaculture production, making them vital in achieving food security.

The Albayano cabinet member said an important way of sustaining and even improving the productivity of the country's oceans is "improving the biodiversity of coastal and marine ecosystems" as healthy ecosystems "support higher fisheries production and provides better ecological services such as their important contribution to regulate climate and to disaster risk reduction."

"If we have healthy marine and coastal ecosystems, we can develop our brand of 'Blue Economy' defined as an approach to advance sustainable management and conservation of ocean and coastal resources and ecosystems and sustainable development, in order to foster economic growth," Paje stressed.

The APEC dialogue aims to produce a plan of action that would keep the coastal and marine ecosystems resiliency and ensure sustainable food supply chains.

The action plan tackles three priority areas: resilient oceans and coastal resources; fish loss production; and agri-business development.

"The plan of action has undergone several revisions from the important and valuable comments and suggestions from different member economies," Paje said.

He expressed hope and confidence that the proposed Plan of Action of the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Food Security and Blue Economy will be adopted at the end of this meeting.

New DPWH Bicol RD to assume post

By Manny T. Ugalde

LEGAZPI CITY — The Bicol regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways will have a new regional director to replace Engr. Melvin Navarro who is due for re-assignment to the National Capital Region, sources at the DPWH said.

Reportedly not comfortable with his new assignment, Engr. Reynaldo Tagudando has to accept his Bicol assignment by virtue of a special order dated Sept. 28 duly signed by DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson.

Tagudando, whose previous assignment was as regional director in Region IV-B, is expected to assume his Bicol post this Friday, Oct. 2, with Navarro taking over his new post at NCR on the same day.

It is said that many of the senior engineers of the DPWH have been avoiding duty assignment in Bicol like a plague. This is allegedly due to heavy pressures being forced on them by corrupt politicians and contractors, like those involved in the implementation of the P700M calamity fund earmarked for Bicol, particularly in Albay, among others.

It is said that DPWH Bicol, through the years, has made multi-millionaires out of corrupt regional directors and district engineers, enterprising lady contractors, and even DPWH employees themselves who moonlight as contractors.

Those in the know would also not forget the mysterious killings of top DPWH Bicol officials. These include the shooting to death of then Regional Director Nestor Tria while waiting for his flight at the Naga Airport in Pili, Camarines Sur and Asst. District Engineer Floriano Sarmiento inside his office in Caanaman, Camarines Sur. Engr. Pedro Celebrado who was in charge of right-of-way claims during the construction of the Andaya Highway in Camarines Sur was also killed inside his home.

Another former regional director, Engr. DaniloManalang, while on retirement, was murdered in Pampanga by unknown assailants.

Classes suspended in Albay, Camarines Sur

RHAYDZ BARCIA AND IZA IGLESIAS

LEGAZPI CITY: The provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur in the Bicol region ordered the suspension of classes in all levels on Thursday morning as the low pressure area intensified into tropical depression Kabayan.

“For public safety, public welfare and public health, we are suspending classes at all levels in all areas, public and private schools after consulting Albay Pdrrmc executive officers,” Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said in his directive.

Salceda, chairman of the provincial disaster risk reduction management council, said moderate rainfall can trigger floods and landslides.

Similarly, Camarines Sur Gov. Miguel “Migz” Villafuerte and Naga City Mayor John Bongat issued suspension of classes in all levels.

“The low pressure area seen in the Visayas has intensified into a tropical depression and was named Kabayan,” the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Thursday.

As of 4 p.m. on Thursday, Kabayan was estimated at 105 kilometers North-Northeast of Daet, Camarines Norte with maximum winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and is forecast to move Northwest at 20 kph.

Public Storm Signal No. 1 is raised in 19 provinces: Southern Isabela, Ifugao, Mt. Province, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Benguet, Nueva Viscaya, Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Aurora and Northern Quezon including Polillo Island.

The tropical depression is predicted to make landfall in Aurora province by early Friday morning and will cut across Luzon. Kabayan is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Sunday morning.

Albay El Niño preparedness caravan starts

By Nancy I. Mediavillo [(PNA), CTB/FGS/NIM/CBD/]

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 1 (PNA) -- The Day One of the countdown in connection with the birthday of Governor Joey Sarte Salceda on Oct. 26 formally started with the grand opening of the 9th Annual Governor's Cup at the Albay Astrodome on Wednesday.

The Day 2 of the countdown on Thursday rolled off with an El Niño Preparedness Caravan spearheaded by the Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) at Camalig town for the whole day.

The caravan will cover other towns and cities of the province, based on the schedule prepared by the Task Force El Niño for the whole month of October.

The activity aims to cushion the negative impacts of the dry spell phenomenon on the agriculture sector, farmers' lives and the entire economy of the province.

The caravan will be a joint undertaking of the Department of Agriculture and other national government agencies, Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office headed by Dr. Cedric Daep and PGA departments like the Provincial Agriculture Service Office led Cheryll Rebeta, Provincial Health Office headed by Dr. Natz Rempillo, Provincial Veterinary Office, Provincial Engineering Office with its chief engineer Dante Baclao and others.

Rebeta said the caravan will highlight the strong advocacy and massive information drive of the departments and agencies participating in the caravan to give the public sufficient knowledge on the bad effects of El Niño.

The caravan will also distribute vegetable seeds and palay variety with high resistance to heat or drought resilient variety.

Rempillo said his office is preparing for a worst-case scenario.

He laid down the plans of the PHO like IEC on common diseases when extreme heat comes like sore eyes, boils, skin diseases, colds, cough and fever.

The PHO chief said there might be a rise in dengue cases since many residents will store water.

He said the public should know what to do to avoid these diseases.

"Always make the surrounding and yourself clean," Rempillo said.

He also asked the public to protect water source in the village.

This should be about 25 meters from structures like septic tanks.

The PHO, Rempillo said, is ready with preemptive health care like medical services for those who have asthma, colds, lung disease and others.

The health office is also ready to give medicines for these illnesses, he said, adding that all hospitals in the province are prepared to render services, including the eight devolved medical facilities.

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