Albay News September 2014

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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.

SMEC supplies P800 million worth of power to Albay

By Manly Ugalde

LEGAZPI CITY—Barely eight months since it took over the ailing Albay Electric Cooperative (Aleco), San Miguel Energy Corp. (SMEC) claimed it had already supplied over P800 million worth of power through its Albay Power Energy Corp. (Apec).

In a radio interview last week, Apec Information Officer Jane Rogando confirmed that Apec had already accumulated P800 million worth of power supply from SMEC since it started operating Aleco in January.

SMEC took over Aleco in January, the first cooperative to be privatized after successive failed efforts to rehabilitate it, the co-op had about P4 billion in debts.

Newly appointed Apec General Manager Manny Imperial said SMEC is not after turning profits in operating Aleco. He explained that the San Miguel Corp.-owned power firm is in Albay to contribute its share for corporate social responsibility.

Apec earlier promised to fully restore power in Albay by end-September, two-and-a-half months after Typhoon Glenda toppled lines on July 15. On Monday it said it has powered up 72 percent of the barangays.

Mayon eruption emerges as Albay’s biggest tourist event in 2014

(MST Business)

LEGAZPI CITY—Residents around the vicinity of Mayon volcano have been evacuated and brought safely to Albay’s 44 evacuation centers, but the volcano’s imminent eruption is emerging as the biggest 2014 tourist event.

Albay frowns on disaster tourism promotion, but the strong probability of a Mayon eruption has been drawing foreign tourists in droves.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said they evacuated residents living within Mayon’s six-kilometer radius danger zone and up to eight-kilometer extended buffer zone. He said the focus of attention was now in providing the needs of the 10,902 families or 46,674 people in the 44 evacuation centers across the province.

Officials of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned of a possible big blast of Mayon, due to a gargantuan lava dome that has accumulated at its crater in recent weeks.

More tourists were noted to have arrived in the province. The governor said tourists could pose some problems in their operations, “but there’s no way to stop them from watching the world’s most perfect cone volcano blows its top, which is a once in a lifetime chance.”

Visitors watch lava and pyroclastic materials cascade down Mayon’s southeastern slope, especially on clear nights.

Visitors come by bus or via the Legazpi domestic airport, which is not closed even during Alert 4 or 5 because it is 18 kilometers away from the crater and from the declared 6-km. radius permanent danger zone.

The Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council prohibited activities near the volcano, including ATV (all-terrain vehicle) tours, trekking, playing golf at Doña Pepita Golf Course and all other activities within the permanent danger zone and extended buffer zone.

The recommended areas where tourists could view the volcano from a distance are Ligñon Hill, Cagsawa Ruins Park, Daraga Church, Legazpi City Boulevard, Taysan Hills and Quituinan Hills. The spectacle could be better viewed at night.

“Our objective is to make the surroundings so boring and the stage so uneventful that Mayon can have her solo show. Once endangered residents are evacuated, an eruption should actually be an engaging geological and touristic event,” said Salceda.

The governor said it was their policy not to promote disaster tourism “in respect to the dignity of displaced families; we would rather have Alert 0 and still gain a lot of tourists by investing in aggressive promotion rather than spend the same for protracted evacuation.”

Albay allows direct assistance in Mayon evacuation centers

By Joel Locsin /LBG (GMA News)

Groups planning donations and mercy missions for Mayon evacuees need not course their assistance through the Albay provincial government.

Albay Governor Jose Salceda said Sunday the camps for families evacuated from the danger zone around the restive volcano are "open city."

"Mayon Evacuation Camps are OPEN CITY. Donations, feeding or medical missions and other forms of assistance do not need prior approval and need not be coursed through the provincial government," he said in a post on his Facebook account.

Earlier, the provincial government sought assistance from the national government as it is running out of funds for the evacuees.

Albay officials had evacuated more than 11,000 families from danger zones extending up to eight kilometers around Mayon.

This was after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level at Mayon to "3," meaning an eruption is possible in weeks.

Meanwhile, Salceda said health stations, manned by three RNs with EMTs, are in place in each of the 45 evacuation centers.

He said they "are only to take note of all activities inside the camp."

Palace ready to give further assistance to Albay amid Mayon threat

By Joel Locsin /LBG (GMA News)

Malacañang said Saturday it is ready to provide more help to Albay province amid the threat of an eruption from restive Mayon Volcano.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte gave the assurance as the province's local government indicated its emergency budget had been depleted.

“Handa tayo umalalay pagdating sa ganyang usapin. Kung ano pwede natin mai-provide,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.

On Friday, Albay Governor Jose Salceda said their P311-million quick response fund will only last until the weekend.

Salceda said the fund was spent mostly on the daily rice ration for the evacuees and the salary of 500 nurses they hired to watch over the health of the evacuees.

Meanwhile, a separate report by GMA News' Claire Delfin on GMA News TV's “Balitanghali” said various agencies have extended some P112.176 million in aid to Albay.

But the report said the local military also asked the communist New People's Army to stop fighting in the Albay area for now.

The military's Southern Luzon Command added many of those being assisted by soldiers are relatives of the rebels.

Albay seeks aid from nat’l govt amid Mayon threat

By Andrei Medina/KBK (GMA News)

The local government of Albay is seeking the help of the national government after the restiveness of Mayon volcano sapped the province's emergency budget, a report on “24 Oras” said Friday.

According to Albay Governor Joey Salceda, their P311 million quick response fund will only last until the weekend.

“We will issue a state of depletion on Sunday when it is depleted,” he said. “So we [still have] have thirty to thirty-one days of rice.”

He explained the fund was spent mostly on the daily rice ration for the evacuees and the salary of 500 nurses they commissioned to watch over the health of the evacuees.

Salceda also stressed that essential lifelines like water and sanitation, as well as rest and recreation, is continuously being provided to the evacuees.

In an earlier report, Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office head Dr. Cedric Daep said there were 11,982 families that had been evacuated and placed in 56 evacuation centers in the province due to the volcano's activity.

Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Department and the Office of Civil Defense have sent relief goods for evacuees in Albay which are estimated to extend ration supplies to an additional 31 days.

Aside from the volcano's possible eruption, ashfall also threatens at least eight areas in Albay, namely Camalig, Guinobatan, Pio Duran, Daraga, Jovellar, Ligao, Oas and Polangui.

As of Friday, Mayon showed more signs of activity, with the PHIVOLCS recording nine volcanic quakes and six rockfall events in the last 24 hours.

Volcanologists say lull in Mayon rumbling could be deceptive

By Ma. April Mier (Inquirer Southern Luzon)

LEGAZPI CITY—The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Mayon Volcano is now exhibiting a behavior similar to what it displayed in 1984 when there was a lull before the volcano erupted.

Eduardo Laguerta, Phivolcs resident volcanologist at the Ligñon Hill Observatory here, said the volcano showed a lull in activity for two weeks before the 1984 eruption, which did not bring any casualty but led to the evacuation of at least 73,000 people.

“What Mayon is telling us is to look back at the 1984 eruption wherein there was a lull of two weeks, then early morning of Sept. 23 it exploded, resulting in a scar, or destruction of, (on) the crater wall sliding to southeast of Mayon,” he said.

Phivolcs referred to the 1984 eruption as “vulcanian type,” in which there were explosions similar to those produced by cannons being fired.

Boulders, lava

These explosions, said the volcanologist, had short intervals. During this episode, the Phivolcs said, the volcano spewed boulders the size of houses and discharged glowing lava.

Laguerta said the volcano has been on a lull for five days now as indicated by fewer quakes. It means the volcano is simmering down but volcanologists said the possibility of eruption is still there.

In its Sept. 24 bulletin, Phivolcs recorded no volcanic quake, four rock fall events while the amount of sulfur dioxide that the volcano emits has fallen to 569 tons per day compared to 1,048 tons per day recorded on Sept. 22.

Laguerta said the decrease in volcanic quakes and rock fall events are effects of the slow movement of magma to the crater but this does not mean that the volcano has calmed down as signs of eruption are still there, like reduced sulfur dioxide emission.

“The sulfur dioxide emission has lessened but this means that the volcano is building up more strength or pressure for a big eruption,” Laguerta said.

Lava dome

He said Mayon’s alert level could not be lowered because the accumulation of lava is still highly visible. Phivolcs raised Mayon’s alert level to 3 on Sept. 15, which means the volcano would erupt in weeks.

According to the Phivolcs, the lava dome is now nearly 46 meters high with an estimated volume of 563,604 cubic meters, which is equivalent to more than 141,000 truckloads of rocks that would explode should there be an eruption.

Laguerta said recent aerial survey showed the lava dome is tilted to the southeastern side of the volcano so areas on this side would be exposed to pyroclastic flow and even lava flow.

These areas, which are within the six-to eight-kilometer

extended danger zone, include 32 villages in Legazpi City and the municipalities of Camalig, Daraga and Sto. Domingo.

Albay’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said at least 86,961 people need to be evacuated in these areas should eruption be imminent and the alert level is raised to 4.

Albay gov't gives out 'conjugal access cards' to married evacuees

By Ma. April Mier, Michael B. Jaucian (philstar.com)

MANILA, Philippines — The Albay provincial government will distribute "conjugal access cards" to couples in evacuation centers amid a raised alert level 3 due to the potentially dangerous behavior of the Mayon Volcano.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said that the local government may soon rent out motel units for married evacuees to avoid incidences that children witness couples doing the sexual act in areas around the evacuation camps.

"Rerenta siguro kami ng mga motel, next week pa naman," Salceda said in an interview Wednesday on ANC.

The access cards, however, will only be given to the women, implying an effort to thwart occasions of sexual abuse.

Local authorities, however, do not have measures to ensure that only married couples are given discounted or free access to the rooms.

"It's up to her," Salceda said, referring to any woman who will secure a conjugal access card.

Salceda said that the project was first explored in 2009 when the volcano manifested similar signs of possible eruption.

About 11,255 families were moved from within the 8-kilometer radius and other vulnerable areas near the Mayon.

Albay classes resume in tent schools

By Ma. April Mier, Michael B. Jaucian (Inquirer Southern Luzon)

LEGAZPI CITY—Classes will resume today in donated tents for over 50,000 students whose schools are being used as evacuation centers in the face of the possible eruption of Mayon Volcano in Albay province.

The provincial government received 155 tents from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), which served as classrooms after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised alert level 3 over Mayon on Sept. 15.

Classes have been suspended in 38 schools now being used as temporary shelters and those within the 6-kilometer radius permanent danger zone, affecting a total of 51,634 students. The figure includes 14,710 student evacuees, Assistant Education Secretary Reynaldo Laguda told the Inquirer.

The Unicef tents arrived over the weekend for distribution to the evacuation centers. On Saturday, the Army’s 2nd Infantry Battalion put up five tents with a floor area of 54 square meters and 10 tents with an area of 42-sq m in Guinobatan town. They delivered 10 42-sq m tents to Camalig town.

Laguda said 542 classrooms were being used as evacuation shelters but the tents numbered only 155. He said students, especially those in the elementary grades, would be grouped to morning and afternoon shifts so that classes could resume immediately.

Teachers in the affected areas would conduct the emergency classes, he added.

Regional Director Ramon Fiel Abcede of the Department of Education in Bicol said in a text message that despite the lack of facilities, especially armchairs, classes would resume on Tuesday.

Some students could sit on the floor while others could take other chairs not being used by the evacuees, Abcede said.

At Guinobatan West Central School, classes resumed on Monday, with around 200 pupils crowding one room. Evacuees from Barangay (village) Doña Tomasa were occupying the other rooms.

The school principal, Eden Cardoso, said Grades 1 to 3 pupils would use the rooms in the morning while those in Grades 4 to 6 would use them in the afternoon.

Crisencia Oro, a Grade 3 teacher, said the children could not focus on their lessons but a colleague, Misalina Rontas, said the setup was better than leaving the children at home doing nothing.

Rontas said she expected the situation to ease up when the tents are put up.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said 1,025 classroom-tents, 55,000 chairs and 57 comfort rooms were still needed.

At Camalig North Central School, a medical team of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon Command based in Camp Nakar in Lucena City came to provide medical services to the evacuees.

A military doctor, Capt. Donne Framil, said most of the children were suffering from cough, flu, fever and other ailments, while the elderly were experiencing high blood pressure due to extreme heat and poor ventilation.

“Rashes and eczema are also prominent,” he said.

Cecil Marquez said her 8-month-old baby girl could not sleep at night and was crying most of the time because of difficulty in breathing. “I am very happy that military doctors and nurses are here to conduct medical checkups,” she said.

In Ligao, the city government conducted on Sunday psychosocial activities for thousands of evacuees who have been staying at National Housing Authority units in Barangay Tuburan for nearly a week. They were treated to parlor games, enlivened by the presence of mascot Dora the Explorer, and enjoyed a three-hour film showing.

Phivolcs said the possibility of Mayon’s eruption remained despite a slowdown in activity. On Monday, three volcanic earthquakes and 13 rockfall occurrences were recorded, compared with Sunday’s four volcanic earthquakes and eight rockfall events.

Eduardo Laguerta, Phivolcs resident volcanologist based in this city, had earlier stressed that the decrease in activity could mean that the rise of magma has stopped temporarily. Mayon might just be preparing for a possible eruption as pressure inside increases, he said.

Albay execs bracing for worst-case scenario

By Cet Dematera (With Celso Amo, The Philippine Star)

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Officials in the province of Albay are still bracing for a worst case scenario despite the lull in the abnormal activities of Mayon Volcano in the past three days.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda told The STAR that provincial officials cannot be complacent in the ongoing preparations for a full-blown eruption despite the decrease in the number of volcanic earthquakes and rockfall events since Thursday.

Only four volcanic earthquakes and eight rockfall events were recorded by the Lignon Observatory here in the past 24 hours, according to the latest bulletin of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Mayon’s status remained at Alert Level 3 yesterday.

However, Phivolcs-Bicol chief volcanologist Ed Laguerta said that since the collapsed crater wall facing Legazpi City is almost completely patched up, lava could now flow down to any direction, endangering all cities and towns around the volcano.

“It’s now to whom it may concern,” said Salceda.

“We cannot take chances that might compromise the safety of our residents. No way. The preparations would continue until, at least, the three-month long wait is over,” he added.

He also said that changes in the contingency plans would only be made should Phivolcs make the recommendation depending on the behavior of Mayon.

“In fact, we already declared Albay as an open city, so that help would pour in without much bureaucratic hindrances,” Salceda added.

Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, said that the agency is preparing to provide the needs of the evacuees that might reach 11,000 families should Alert Level 4 be declared by Phivolcs.

“We had this many evacuees during the 2009 eruption episode of Mayon. We will brace for it again,” Daep told The STAR.

Except for the 1993 sudden explosion of Mayon that caught Albay by surprise and killed at least 77 farmers at the upper slope of the volcano, no fatality was recorded in the eruptions in 2000, 2006 and 2009.

But on May 7, 2013, at least five mountain climbers and a Filipino tour guide were killed when Mayon had a sudden phreatic explosion. The volcano did not show abnormal precursors.

DOST-Bicol opens grant of civil service eligibility to science teachers, researchers

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 21 (PNA) –- Bicolanos who have worked in the field of science and technology (S&T) for a required number of years may now avail of the civil service eligibility grant that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) regional office here has opened up for grabs.

Qualified to apply are those who have at least a bachelor’s degree in any of the following fields of study: Natural Sciences (Astronomy/Biological/Geological); Mathematics and Information and Communication Technology; Engineering Sciences and other Disciplines (Environmental and Food Sciences).

An applicant must also have at least three years of continuous experience in related research and/or teaching works and a part-time or full-time teaching position and/or actively doing research at the time of filing the application.

Teaching experiences in the academe--college level at least-- in the major field of specialization and academic in nature, leading to a baccalaureate, master or doctoral degree are also required.

To qualify further, the duties, responsibilities and participation of applicants in research must be technical in nature, or has a earned a master’s degree with thesis or doctoral degree in the mentioned fields of study from a school recognized by the Commission of Higher Education or has a patented invention as certified by the Intellectual Property Office – Philippines.

Applications must be in duly accomplished Civil Service (CS) Form 101-C, Revised Dec. 2001 together with required attachments such as three pieces of passport-size picture in standard close-up shot, bare face, colored with white background, showing left and right ears and with handwritten name tag.

Other attachments are five copies each of the following documents: duly certified statement of duties and responsibilities; original and photocopy of transcript of records and diploma (the original copy shall be returned to the applicant after authentication of photocopy; recommendation of application from the office or school head stating the assessment of the applicant’s research or teaching proficiency; and list of S&T subjects taught/being taught and the duration of teaching said subjects, duly certified by the school dean (using the prescribed form).

Other documents like published research paper or technical reports for conducted scientific researches or research still in progress in certified true copies by authorities to whom the original copies were submitted indicating the start and end dates; and certification of research proficiency from the office head indicating the title of scientific research projects, applicant’s participation and/or responsibilities in the research projects and certificate of patented invention if applicable.

All these requirements must be submitted together with assessment fee of Php 200 in cash or postal money order payable to DOST-Science Education Institute, DOST Regional Director Tomas Briñas over the weekend said.

This CS eligibility offering, he said, is in accordance with Presidential Decree 997 that provides for Scientific and Technological Specialist Eligibility Grant on the bases of applicants’ qualifications and requirements of public service.

It was established to give emphasis to scientific and technological programs as well as to recruit more personnel into government service through the issuance of Scientific and Technological Specialist Eligibility.

This eligibility shall be considered for first- and second-level positions in the government not covered by Bar, Board and other special laws.

Such eligibility, according to Briñas, also qualifies the grantee for appointment to appropriate government positions in the scientific and technological fields, provided that the grantee meets all other requirements for appointment.

“DOST-Bicol looks forward to more Bicolano STS Eligibility Grantees and be counted as such in the country’s manpower complement,” Briñas added.

UNICEF pledges 105 tents for classroom use in Albay

By April M. Meir[(PNA), CTB/FGS/AMM/CBD/PJN]

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 20 (PNA) -- Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) chief Cedric Daep on Saturday confirmed that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has pledged at least 105 tents to be used as temporary classrooms for children who were among those evacuated.

"The Department of Education plans to designate teachers to facilitate classes in 61 school camps," Daep added.

He said the DepdEd, however, is still assessing how many students need to attend classes.

Since Monday, the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has recorded the evacuation of 2,632 families or 13,686 individuals in Guinobatan; 916 families or 4,763 individuals in Malilipot; 2,286 families or 11,875 individuals in Camalig; 1,869 families or 7,476 individuals in Daraga; 593 families or 3,084 individuals in Ligao City; 767 families or 2,988 individuals in Tabaco City and 438 families or 1,627 individuals in Sto Domingo.

These total to 9,501 families or 45,499 individuals.

Daep said that if Mayon eruption would cause a huge lahar flow, there will be additional evacuees coming from different municipalities and cities within the 6-10-kilometer-radius extended danger zone.

He clarified that there was no lahar flow that happened in Barangay Maipon in Guinobatan on Thursday night.

The APSEMO head said the rain-caused event that took place in the village, which he called “flood water with minor sediments,” is non-destructive to residents.

He said it only caused river swelling that had reached the road at around 9:00 - 11:00 p.m.

"Phivolcs does not classify it as a lahar flow, instead, only a flood water with minor sediments, rocks and boulders,” Daep explained.

Guinobatan Mayor Ann Gemma Ongjoco said in a phone interview Saturday that the road has been passable since Friday morning.

Ongjoco said she immediately ordered her field personnel to use grader to clear the road where the workers extracted about 30-50 cubic meters of sand.

Since Monday, the local government, she said, has ordered forced evacuation at the village as it was identified as a flood-prone and lahar flow-prone area.

Ongjoco said that everytime Mayon Volcano erupts, lahar flows reach their municipality.

As of now, they have evacuated 2,471 families or 8,749 individuals from Barangay Maipon.

Legazpi city to hit 700,000 tourist arrivals mark this year

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 19 (PNA) – After surpassing the half-million tourist arrivals mark last year, the local government here expects to achieve more improvements in its tourism performance this year by hitting the 700,000 count.

“Realizing this higher number will give us a better chance of notching a slot in the top 10 best tourist destinations and top five convention cities in the country this year,” City Mayor Noel Rosal on Friday said.

The city, he said, received a total of 579,470 domestic and foreign tourists last year -- which was higher by 141,370 or a whopping increase of 32.27 percent from the previous year’s list of arrivals.

These figures landed the city in the 14th place of the country’s best destination ranking, according to Rosal.

“This year, we have had more foreign arrivals from China, Russia, Korea, Japan, Middle East countries, United States and other travel markets around the world owing to the intensive tourism promotion we have been doing—among them the opening of the city airport as gateway for direct international flights early this year," he added.

First worked out by the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office for the Albay-Masbate-Sorsogon Tourism Alliance (AlMaSorTA) was the opening of the Legazpi Airport as international gateway that saw the arrival of hundreds of Chinese tourists flown in to the city via chartered flights from Xiamen City.

AlMaSorTA is a program conceptualized by the Bicol Regional Development Council (RDC) headed by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda as chairman as the tourism road map designed to achieve development not only in the Bicol mainland provinces of Albay and Sorsogon but also in the island of Masbate.

“The opening of the city as gateway for direct international flights takes advantage of the foreign market trend showing that international tourists do not tend to a local destination as they follow a cycle leading them from one place to another,” Rosal said.

Under this program, the city government, in partnership with the Misibis Bay Island Resort in Cagraray Island of Bacacay, Albay, arranged several other direct flights from Xiamen that brought in nearly 1,000 Chinese tourists in time for the city’s month-long celebration of Ibalong Festival last August.

“This direct flight project was arranged as a continuing tourism activity this year but was cut short by an advisory issued last Sept. 12 by the Chinese government warning against travel to the Philippines after a Chinese teenager who worked in a family-run store was kidnapped," Rosal said.

The advisory was also issued amid plots that criminal groups are planning to attack the Chinese Embassy and companies, as well as airports and shopping malls.

Rosal said this travel warning will certainly hurt the city’s tourism industry but not much “because we have many other international markets and I believe that this advisory is only temporary and will be lifted soon.”

Nonetheless, he said, without the Chinese coming in during the remaining months of this year, the city would still realize its 700,000 tourist arrivals expectation for 2014, given that it plays year-round as host to many large international and national summits and conventions.

These events bring in thousands of delegates and participants who marvel at the local tourism wonders, the city chief executive added.

The Ibalong Festival alone was able to generate some 10,000 tourists and visitors while the about-20 conventions and similar large gatherings held in the city from January to August have already contributed nearly 100,000 arrivals.

Among these giant gatherings here were the triple conferences of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-World Tourism Organization (ASEAN-WTO) held for six days at the plush Oriental Hotel.

At least 10 more big occasions are scheduled before the end of this year from where the city expects to draw an additional figure of around 30,000 visitors, according to Rosal.

“Our daily arrivals either via the average five daily commercial flights from Manila and Cebu or land trips coming from Metro Manila and several other origins in Luzon and the Visayas islands are the biggest contributors to our tourist arrivals, averaging around 1,500 daily,” he noted.

These people, Rosal said, come not only for the majestic Mt. Mayon but because Legazpi is already a world-class city that caters to an influx of investments and massive urban development that continuously attract travelers.

And since tourism growth enlivens trade and commerce, the mayor said the local business climate has also been made pleasant as investment opportunities have been going broader and more fortified.

“Tourism is indeed taking a crucial role in the city in its pursuit of inclusive and horizontal growth that will benefit not only big investors such as hotel operators but also the people in the countryside, where most of its tourist destinations are located, by providing more opportunities for employment and business ventures,” the city mayor stressed.

DSWD gives Php 5.4-M more aid to Albay

(PNA), CTB/FGS/EMC/CBD

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 18 (PNA) -- Aside from the thousands of various provisions – blankets, mats, mosquito nets, bottled water, noodles, powdered milk and bags of rice -- it received Thursday morning, the province of Albay again received in the afternoon of the same day Php 5.4-million-worth of about 8,000 essential kits and food items from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Office here.

The kits are worth Php 4.7 million while the food items are valued at Php 734, 273.93.

The essential kits and food items were turned over to the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and will be given to the displaced families of Mt. Mayon’s impending eruption.

Governor Joey Sarte Salceda praised the DSWD for the very fast action on the request of the provincial government.

He emphasized that ever since, DSWD has been very responsive and supportive to the local government units, especially during disasters.

Aside from provisions, the DSWD will also conduct Family Development Sessions inside the evacuation centers, according to DSWD Bicol Regional Director Arnel Garcia.

Garcia said Social Welfare and Development Teams are still deployed in the different affected municipalities for monitoring and coordination with the LGUs.

Legazpi’s Children’s Right and Welfare Code to apply even before kids are born (Feature)

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 17 (PNA) -- The rights and welfare of children in this prime Bicol metropolis are going to be protected even before their birth.

This would be true once the draft of Legazpi City’s Children’s Right and Welfare Code prepared by the youngest member of the city’s legislative council, Councilor Vicente Baltazar III, is enacted by the Sangguniang Panlunsod (SP) into an ordinance and approved for implementation by City Mayor Noel Rosal.

Obtaining the highest number of votes in the 2013 local elections, Baltazar, at 23, emerged as the youngest local legislator ever voted here.

For being the topnotcher among the 10 elected members of the council, he is officially called “senior councilor.”

Actually, this young local solon is not new to legislative works as his exposure in this field started with his election in 2007 as president of the city chapter of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation, which sent him to the SP as ex-officio member.

After SK, he ran for barangay chairman in 2010 and won to be later voted as vice-president of the Liga ng mga Barangay-City Chapter that sent him back to the SP, also as ex-officio member, on election of the league’s city president, Joseph Philip Lee, as Albay chapter president and installation as provincial board member in the same capacity.

His young age though has never prevented Baltazar from being as dynamic as his older colleagues in the city council.

He has placed himself always at the forefront of productive activities involving the local youth, and now of children.

“This piece of local legislation will serve as the doctrine which will see to it that Legazpi is the most livable city for children. Its provisions that seek the protection of children’s rights and welfare apply soon after they are conceived by their mothers, up to the time that they are born and until they reach the legal age,” Baltazar on Wednesday told the Philippine News Agency here.

In his 24-page draft of the proposed code that collates for easy reference all executive orders, issuances, resolutions, ordinances, statutory and universal laws on children’s rights, Baltazar said its objectives are to make certain that children in the city are protected from all forms of abuse and exploitation; and ensure that the locality is conducive to their holistic development.

“The Code shall declare, as a matter of policy, that Legazpi is a child-friendly city, thus, it becomes incumbent upon the city government to ensure that the rights of children for survival, development, protection and participation are given priority,” he said.

Survival rights, he explained, involves, among others, prompt birth registration that will observe a child’s right to a name and nationality as embodied in Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

It also involves a provision ensuring that each and every child within the city’s territorial jurisdiction is provided access to basic health services, including pre-natal and childbirth service packages for the mother -- all for free.

Care for the prevention of communicable diseases through an intensified Reaching Every Barangay (REB) strategy to achieve at least 99-percent full immunization coverage of infants, active promotion of personal hygiene, safe food and water practices and protection from exposure to hazardous works or activities are also provided as a child survival right.

The creation of supportive environments that would serve as the overall guiding principle for people and environment to take care of each other and health promotion to create living and working conditions that are satisfying, enjoyable and stimulating is another provision of the Code under its child survival right protection.

In protecting the development right of children, Baltazar’s proposed Code seeks the city government’s setting up of day care centers that are provided with basic sanitation facilities, including safe drinking water and food services, toilets and proper waste disposals in all its 70 barangays.

Programs on child minding, special education, children’s literature and recreational and cultural facilities should also be instituted by the city government, including the implementation of Child-Friendly School System (CFSS) in support to the socio-cultural development of children, the proposed Code provides.

“Under this Code, the local government shall also regulate or control the exposure of children to Internet, particularly those who are in school and during school hours,” Baltazar said.

This Code, he said, will carry as prohibited acts -- other than all those that are defined and penalized under Republic Act (RA) 7610 on child abuse and exploitation; RA 7658 on child labor; and other pertinent laws—peonage of children, pre-arranged marriage and the use of girls as “commodities” in benefit dances, among others.

As its implementing mechanism, the City Council for the Welfare of the Children (CCWC) which will formulate the plan of action for children, incorporating projects and programs submitted by barangays, according to Baltazar, shall be created by the SP.

At the same time, Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children that among other responsibilities would foster education—at least elementary-- of every child; as village-level vanguards against child abuse and juvenile delinquency; as service delivery coordinator for health and nutrition and other basic services, shall be created by barangay councils, he said.

Finally, a seat shall be provided for a child representative in the CCWC, which should see to it that the child is able to genuinely participate in decision-making, particularly on matters involving children, Baltazar said.

“Any violation of this Code which is not penalized elsewhere in other sections or in any national law, shall be meted out the penalty of a fine ranging from Php 3,000 to Php 5,000 and imprisonment of 20-30 days at the discretion of the court,” he added.

Albay governor, PDRRMC to meet on Mayon evacuation plan

By Joel Locsin/DVM (GMA News)

Albay Governor Jose Salceda will on Tuesday convene a meeting of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to map out the evacuation of around 10,000 residents near Mayon Volcano, as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology elevated the Mayon alert level to "3" Monday night.

An Alert Level 3 means Mayon "is exhibiting relatively high unrest and that magma is at the crater and that hazardous eruption is possible within weeks."

In a post on his Facebook page, Salceda said he plans to meet with the mayors of Legazpi City, Tabaco City, Ligao City, Guniobatan, Camalig, Daraga, Sto. Domingo and Malilipot.

The plan will call for the evacuation of residents from the 6-8 km extended danger zone.

Salceda also made it clear that there would be "no human activity" inside the 6-km permanent danger zone, and that the forced evacuation of all settlers, whether returning or newly settled, will be enforced.

"[O]ther settlers may have taken advantage of the interregnum since the Mayon eruption 2009," he said, reporting that around 300 settlers had re-entered the 6-km PDZ, even though they been resettled.

On Monday night, Phivolcs raised the Mayon Volcano alert to Level 3, as their scientists had noticed an “escalation of unrest" from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Around 39 rockfall events were also ascribed to "incipient breaching of the growing summit lava dome across the southeastern crater rim."

Mt. Mayon among world's most photogenic volcanoes

(ABS-CBNnews.com)

MANILA – The Philippines’ very own Mt. Mayon has been dubbed one of the 10 most photogenic volcanoes in the world.

In an article published on the CNN Travel website on September 12, writer Leslie Patrick ranked Mt. Mayon ninth in his list of most photogenic volcanoes.

“Anywhere. This volcano is known for its perfect conical shape,” wrote Patrick, referring to the best place within the vicinity of Mt. Mayon to get a photo-op.

An active volcano, Mt. Mayon is located in the province of Albay in the Bicol region. It last erupted in 2013, with the incident killing five climbers.

The “most photogenic volcanoes” list of CNN Travel was topped by Kilauea in Hawaii, followed by Kawah Ijen in Indonesia, Villarica in Chile, Mt. Fuji in Japan, Virunga Mountains in East Africa, Licancabur in Bolivia, Mount Etna in Italy and Arsenal in Costa Rica.

Cotopaxi in Ecuador, meanwhile, rounds out the Top 10.

Want to climb Mayon Volcano? Prepare to shell out at least P7,500 per person. More details here.

PATA chooses Albay as venue of its 2015 Travel Mart

By Johnny C. Nunez [(PNA), SCS/JCN/PJN]

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 14 (PNA) -- The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has chosen Albay as venue of its Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart in the Philippines next year.

he province bested other strong and giant bidders for the organization’s November 2015 event.

PATA is the premier organization of travel and tourism players in the Asia-Pacific region and a leading authority on the industry for over 60 years. It is a partner of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Its Travel Mart event this year is set Sept. 17-19 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Last year, its roadshow in Chengdu, China attracted 77 media, 550 seller and 473 buyer delegates, and registered over 10,000 business appointments in just two days.

PATA executive director Martin J. Craigs, in his letter to Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, said their members believe Legazpi “has much to offer in terms of adventure and would be a perfect destination for a conference and promotion support for Emerging Destinations.”

The 2015 PATA event in Albay features a day-long conference and sets aside another day for field trips to various tourism sites in Legazpi City and neighboring areas, including the world famous Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga town, which now awaits UNESCO’s declaration as a World Heritage Site.

The PATA Travel Mart is a signature event and a premier travel trade show in the Asia-Pacific region. It offers a dynamic program and remarkable platform to showcase travel products and services, bringing together in one market place hundreds of international buyers and sellers in the industry.

Salceda said the 2015 PATA event here will further boost Albay’s reputation as a leading travel and tourism growth area in the country.

The Department of Tourism has declared Albay as the Philippines’ fastest-growing tourist destination. It has posted a sustained tourism growth, leaping by 47% in 2012 and 66% in 2013. After a flat first quarter performance, it registered another 52% growth in the second quarter of this year.

Albay’s tourism has grown from 8,700 foreign tourists in 2007 to 339,000 in 2013. The province has been the venue of many international conferences this year, among them the 26th Joint meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and its Commission for South Asia, and the UNWTO-ASEAN International Conference on Tourism and Climate Change last May.

UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai has praised Albay’s global tourism potential, with Mount Mayon, the world’s only near perfect cone volcano which is referred to as a “gem.”

PATA has close to 1,000 associate groups, education and hospitality, allied partner destinations, corporate, government and industrial links; and about 70 carriers and aviation partners.

5 Legazpi villages scoop up top slots in Albay’s education achievers awards

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 13 (PNA) -- Five barangays of this city were adjudged winners in this year’s search for top achievers in educational initiatives in Albay province, with two of them scooping up two of the three top spots, an announcement made Friday by the Provincial Education Department (PED) said.

The search is under the Barangay Kasangga sa Edukasyon (BAKAS), which is part of the Gawad Albay sa Edukasyon award system being pursued by the Albay provincial government under its zero illiteracy program.

It aims to recognize the significant contributions of barangays through their barangay officials and community to the cause of quality education in the province.

The award system also forms part of the Education for Quality Albayanos (EQUAL) program organized by the PED.

In this year’s BAKAS search, the third since it was launched in 2012, the PED declared Barangays Oro Site and Binanuahan West as Most Outstanding in the Barangays with Elementary and High Schools and Barangays with No Elementary and High School Categories, respectively.

All three barangays belong to this city.

Oro Site, headed by barangay chair Joseph Philip Lee, emerged this year as a Hall of Famer for winning the top slot under its category for three consecutive years.

The top spot for Barangays with Elementary School Only went to Barangay Napo, Polangui, Albay, according to the PED.

All these three top winners will receive cash incentives worth Php 100,000 each to be awarded during the ceremonies whose date was yet to be announced.

Other winners from this city declared as Outstanding BAKAS under the Barangays with Elementary and High Schools are Taysan and Bitano; and Buraguis under Barangays with Elementary School Only.

From outside the city, nine barangays were named as finalists by the PED.

These are Sogod in the municipality of Bacacay; Ilaor Norte, Oas; and Kilicao, Daraga -- all under the Barangays with Elementary and High Schools Category; Cotnogan, Polangui; Lidong, Sto. Domingo; Gabawan, Daraga; and San Rafel, Sto. Domingo under the Elementary Only Category; and Ilawod, Guinobatan and Binitayan, Camalig under the No Elementary and High School Category.

The search, which is a yearly activity, starts from the nomination of any of the 720 barangays of the province.

Each nominee is required to submit accomplished entry form with complete documents such as a copy of the barangay legislation on the creation of BAKAS as sub-committee within the education committee of the barangay council and the list of education initiatives implemented.

At the close of the nomination period, the PED chooses the Top 50 entries in the initial screening through review of documents submitted, visit on sites and informal interview with stakeholders.

In the second and final screening, oral presentations are done at the Bicol University Graduate School (BUGS) here by each of the barangay chairmen of the 50 finalists.

The search is being initiated in partnership with the BUGS and in cooperation with the provincial legislative board through its committee on education chaired by board member Arnold Embestro and the provincial federation of the Association of Barangay Chairmen headed by Lee as its president and board member.

DA names Bicol pilot region in anti-rabies drive

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 12 (PNA) – Cases of animal rabies infection in human in Bicol may be declining, but government authorities want the region totally free from this deadly malady.

In 2012, the region recorded 40 human deaths, the highest human rabies fatalities among the regions of the country.

In 2013, no death was reported of the 20 human rabies infection cases as well as this year, which is showing a more significant decline with only six cases as of last August.

Most of the 2012 fatalities were from the province of Sorsogon, prompting the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) to make its presence in the area -- thus, the decline.

Until today, GARC still works in the province for the total eradication of the deadly health menace.

“Although data show that human rabies cases in the region is on the decline, our ultimate goal is to make Bicol rabies-free. It is under this goal that the region is selected pilot area for the new program that the Department of Agriculture (DA), supported by various agencies, has recently launched,” DA Regional Executive Director Abelardo Bragas said in a statement reaching here Friday.

The program called “Stop Transboundary Animal Diseases and Zoonoses (STANDZ),” which is DA’s latest undertaking under its National Rabies Control and Prevention Strategy (NRCPS), was assured by the World Organization for Animal Health or Office International des Epizooties (OIE) of Php 40-million funding support.

The program was launched recently at The Oriental Hotel here where the OIE Sub-Regional Representation for South-East Asia headed by its special adviser, Dr. Gardner Murray, made the fund commitment.

During the launch, Bragas recalled Murray’s statement saying “rabies is a horrible disease but the control is very simple – vaccine.”

But, according to Bragas, vaccination, which is assigned to local veterinary offices, is not a simple task as it requires social change, communication and coordination as well as cooperation of the whole population in a particular place.

People can help by monitoring vaccination activities in their areas, reporting of rabies cases in animals and humans while local government units (LGUs), including provinces, should create ordinances that would force people to have their dogs vaccinated, he said.

The Department of Education (DepEd), on the other hand, may help in advocating responsible pet ownership among school children, he added.

City Mayor Noel Rosal here, who lauded Bicol’s selection as pilot area for the implementation of STANDZ and expressed appreciation to OIE’s funding support, told the Philippine News Agency that indeed, the goal of the program to eradicate rabies in Bicol by 2016 is a shared responsibility of the DA, the LGUs, DOH and the DepEd.

“We have applied this responsibility-sharing strategy, that is why the city has been rabies-free since the last four years,” Rosal said.

Rabies, a highly fatal yet preventable disease, is primarily transmitted via rabid dog bites.

Globally, it is estimated that rabies causes about 55,000 human deaths.

The OIE supports the global fight against rabies and stands behind the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in eliminating rabies in the region by 2020. In the Philippines, the number of animal bites reported is around 1.2 million from 2009 to 2012, resulting in 966 deaths or more than 200 cases annually.

Considering that rabies is 100-percent preventable, these are unwarranted losses of human lives.

Salceda: Local control of police will curtail police criminality, improve performance quality

(PNA), LAP/JCN/UTB

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 11 (PNA) -- Placing the control of the police under the local government will reverse its dysfunction, optimize its resources, enhance its institutional capabilities and curtail the current uptrend in criminality involving lawmen.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, reacting to the recent spate of police criminality, said its surging incidence “should compel us to seriously revisit the logic for a national police force vis-à-vis local community control over the police.”

A localized police, Salceda said, will result in an open and constant engagements with the community, particularly the vulnerable and the needy, whom the institution is sworn to protect and serve.

Police officers agree that administrative partnership with LGUs can produce good results, as in the case of the Albay PNP headed by Senior Supt. Mario Meneses, which was recently given the Silver Trailblazer Awards, during the Performance Governance System last May 27, second only to Nueva Ecija.

The Bicol PNP Regional Command also recently ranked second to the Cordillera Autonomous Region among the 17 police regional offices in the country in the manhunt for wanted criminals, largely due to its partnership with LGUs in the Bicol Region, Salceda noted.

Creating the PNP and taking its control from the hands of local officials “was largely on account of the martial law regime phobia and is reflective of the mindset of the 1986 Constitutional Commission and the 1987 Congress,” he added.

Salceda pointed out such fear was proven largely baseless as in the case of Albay, where “under our own initiative called Team Albay, we managed to optimize and mobilize the institution, the capabilities and resources of PNP provincial office and seamlessly fused them in our strategic interventions.”

Under the PNP’s present set up, hiring, firing, training and promotions are all national prerogatives. Towns and cities have limited day-to-day operations supervision while governors impinge on police management in our territory only upon the need to pick among the choices for a provincial director position brought down from Camp Crame, he said.

National in character, and with overwhelming and expanded concerns, the governor said a policeman can lose his grasp with the community and his role as protector of the man on the street and the primacy of the lowly villagers’ safety.

Team Albay, formed by Salceda primarily as a disaster risk reduction and management group, has proven that the police force can draw strength from its own local concerns to become an indispensable component of the LGUs.

“I believe if expanded, local control over the police would significantly curtail and reverse the current uptrend in police criminality,” said the governor. Veteran and multi-awarded Team Albay has to its credit eleven major humanitarian missions, impressive records in preemptive evacuation, tree planting, coastal clean ups, actions for climate mitigation and activities for climate change adaptation.

Team Albay’s most recent activities include the provision of security arrangements for the Albay International Gateway as well as the conferences last May of the United Nations World Trade Organization and upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Conference.

Salceda said even without the expressed national blessing, the conscious local exertion and intellectual leadership together with the doctrinal approaches of the local provincial police resulted in the optimization of police resources and the consequent enhancement of its institutional capabilities and the constant open engagements with local communities, especially the vulnerable and the needy.


Massive family development sessions for 4Ps couples held

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 10 (PNA) -– A series of massive family planning development sessions (FDS) is being conducted province-wide for couples covered by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as an integral activity that seeks to expand knowledge and enhance the skills of the beneficiaries.

Ryan Altavano, Albay population officer 1, said 4Ps beneficiaries are required to attend the regular FDS to help them appreciate and comply with health and education conditions.

“The focus of discussions in every session deals on health education, nutrition, disaster, livelihood, family planning and HIV/AIDS,” Altavano said.

He added that the objectives are to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) demand generation but not coercion and address the unmet needs of reproductive age.

FDS is a year round activity for all 4Ps beneficiaries with different modules not limited to health education and family planning.

In Albay, there are 76,939 households officially enrolled in the 4Ps who are regularly attending the FDS.

A Population Commission report said families with too many children have lesser income, savings and expenditures and the challenges facing Filipino families are unachieved fertility goals among women and access to family planning.

Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman recently said after the impact evaluation of the program that the challenge to the government is to sustain these improvements in the lives of the families from the program.

"It is important that it reaches its target of 4.3 million poor households by 2016, and that household beneficiaries stay in the program by continuing to comply with its conditions. Toward this end, a coordinated approach is necessary where national government agencies involved in poverty reduction coordinate their activities and interventions to maximize government's investment in human capital,” Soliman explained.

The Pantawid Pamilya, also widely known as the Philippine conditional cash transfer program, is a human development program of the national government and a social protection strategy that invests in the health and education of poor children age 0-14 years old.

As of July 2012, the program has 3,041,152 household beneficiaries in 1,400 cities and municipalities in 79 provinces in all 17 regions nationwide.

DENR, DSWD, SMFI ink pact to bring back forest cover in Bicol

(PNA), JBP/FGS/RBB/CBD/JSD

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 8 (PNA) -- In an effort to bring back the forest cover of Bicol and mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change in the countryside, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and SM Foundation Inc. have signed a memorandum of agreement for massive greening program in the Bicol region.

The MOA for the project, dubbed as “Grow a Million Trees,” was signed by DENR Bicol Regional Executive Director Gilbert Gonzales, DSWD Bicol Director Arnel Garcia and the SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI).

The project hopes to create healthier and cleaner surroundings and help provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the people in the region.

It brings together the government, SM Group of companies, non-government organizations and people’s organizations into a synergy in a move to help create a better world for the next generation.

Gonzalez said a tripartite agreement on greening program has been forged by and among them to plant and grow a million trees in the countryside to mitigate the effect of global warming that triggers climate change.

The Bicol Region is the most typhoon-prone area and home of the most active volcano in the country, he said.

The “Grow a Million Trees” program is originally a partnership between DENR and SMFI following EO No. 26 or the National Greening Program(NGP) that seeks to promote sustainable development for poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

To strengthen the program, this year, the DSWD Bicol regional office entered into a covenant not only to intensify government’s program but to empower people’s organizations by providing values formation, team building workshops and entrepreneurial skills.

Garcia said that under the agreement, people’s organizations composed of Pantawid and non-Pantawid beneficiaries will plant and nurture the seedlings in the next three years.

The plantations are envisioned to be sources of livelihood for the PO member’s as well.

“This is in support to the environment and capability program empowering the poor and the community. We actually are building and nurturing communities,” Garcia said.

The SM Foundation will also provide at least Php290,000 fund for the various activities such as survey, mapping and planning, site preparation, seedling production, hauling of seedlings and maintenance.

The forest cover in Bicol is dwindling rapidly due to massive “kaingin” (slash-and-burn) farming and uncontrolled cutting of trees in the past here.

DOT-Bicol says AlMaSor booth a standout in 25th Philippine Travel Mart

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 6 (PNA) -– The AlMaSor booth, which showcases the best of Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon in tourism, is a standout in the ongoing 25th Philippine Travel Mart at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay City, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The Travel Mart is a three-day exhibit organized by the Philippine Tour Operators' Association (PHILTOA).

Aside from local government units (LGUs), the exhibition also features booths from travel agencies and airlines that offer up to 70 percent in savings.

PHILTOA is the biggest association of tour operators and agencies that promote exclusively domestic and inbound tourism.

With a nationwide membership, it has been at the frontier of domestic tourism promotion, partnering with the DOT and its regional offices.

The yearly Philippine Travel Mart, the biggest travel trade exhibition in the promotion and marketing of domestic and inbound tourism now on its 25th year of staging, has been the longest running event of its kind in the Philippines.

In view of the forthcoming implementation of the ASEAN Integration in 2015, which aims to promote seamless and borderless travelling within the region and adaption of the Mutual Recognition Agreement among the ASEAN member-nations, the ongoing event for the first time now includes ASEAN regional packages and Twin City packages (Philippines+1 ASEAN City), according to PHILTOA.

It has more colorful exhibits, 25 "Pasasalamat" Sale ng Bayan, tour packages, bigger and exciting cultural events to make sure that the 25th Philippine Travel Mart is 25 times "More Fun In the Philippines," it added.

The AlMaSor booth, since the opening Friday of the exhibition, has emerged as one of the most visited by travel enthusiasts, DOT regional director Maria Ong-Ravanilla said here Saturday as she arrived from attending the event.

“Our booth could easily be distinguished because we have a whale shark mascot playfully prancing and dancing at its front, attracting visitors who would gamely pose for pictures with him.

There are 245 other exhibitors in the Travel Mart from all over the country and the AlMaSor booth stands as among the firsts to be visited,” Ravanilla said.

Travel enthusiasts, both young and old, flock to the AlMaSor exhibit, enjoying the different sights that one can expect to see when visiting Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon, she said.

“Visitors’ happy faces turn into delight as they sample delicacies offered by the booth in a food fare such as the unique sili ice cream from the Colonial Grill of this city, the famed longganisa of Guinobatan, Albay, the sumptuous and creamy pinangat from Camalig and Pili candies from Sorsogon” Ravanilla said.

Dorothy Colle, the Albay provincial tourism officer, in a statement reaching the PNA from the Travel Mart, said that “if the flow of visitors in the first few hours after the opening is to be an indication of what is to come in the three days of the exhibit, the AlMaSor booth may very well be among the top exhibits frequented by visitors, even among fellow exhibitors”.

Formed by the DOT Bicol regional office, in collaboration with the Regional Development Council (RDC), AlMaSor represents one of the two three-province clusters comprising the region’s tourism development areas (TDAs) as identified in the 2011-2016 National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) of the DOT.

The other cluster is called “Triple C” which involves the provinces of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Catanduanes -- which, like AlMaSor, also forms rich tourism destinations that perfectly complement each province, being closely attached geographically.

In the case of AlMaSor, the collaborative efforts given by the three provinces, Ravanilla said, has propelled the influx of tourists to in the region by leaps and bounds, with continued drive and exposure, like this travel mart, making the potential for growth unbounded.

Its maiden global exposure was at the 2013 Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB)-Berlin which put in place a more integrated and comprehensive promotion strategy to market the potentials of the regional tourism industry, eyeing some 650,000 foreign tourist arrivals annually within five years.

By featuring AlMaSor, which was tagged as the “Soul of the South” of Philippine tourism industry, ITB, the world's leading yearly travel trade held in Berlin, Germany on March 6-10 last year notably, helped increase arrivals of European visitors here and other parts of the cluster.

The cluster features Albay with its Mayon Volcano, Cagsawa Ruins and the various local tourism marvels of this city recognized in the world’s travel industry as the “City of Fun and Adventure”; Sorsogon offers its butanding (whale shark) interactions; while Masbate has its unspoiled world-class beaches.

Tour packages to these inviting destinations are offered to tourists, with Albay taking the lead “in view of its ethno-cultural logic.”

“Every part of Bicol is practically a tourist attraction, that is why all its six provinces are included in the Bicol tourism development cluster defined by the NTDP. What we are doing now under this clustering is formulate strategic directions and programs that would make their tourism products more competitive,” Ravanilla said.

This can be done through the improvement of market access, connectivity, destination infrastructure; and enhancement of tourism institutional, governance and industry manpower capabilities, she added.

4Ps program enhances responsible parenting

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 5 (PNA) – The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is an effective initiative of the government that enhances responsible parenting and health demand generation, according to a poor couple that has been benefited by the program.

The couple lives in Barangay Mababangbaybay, one of the 21 coastal barangays of Claveria, Masbate.

It is actually not an island but could hardly reach by land transportation since it has no established road yet.

In 2008, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) was introduced in Masbate and the town of Claveria was included in the Set 1 of the implementation of the program and about 130 families from Mababangbaybay was enrolled in the program.

The family of Protacio and Virginia Lequin were among the lucky beneficiaries.

Evelyn Jerusalem, regional information officer of the DSWD in Bico,l said that prior to the introduction of the program, the Lequin’s family was staying in the upland part of the barangay. They have farming for their livelihood and life was so tough for them, shared Virginia.

She is a plain housewife, and at 44 has five children -- four boys and a girl -- all in school.

Her husband was a farm laborer with no stable income.

Aside from receiving low pay, Porfirio’s job is also seasonal.

He works for a month or two, and be jobless, depending on the need for farm laborers.

Health and education are a problem which confronts the family.

The non-availment of health services by the family is very evident when one of the children died due to health problem.

The poor housewife was so desperate for which she described her surroundings to be engulfed by darkness, especially with the untimely death of her child.

For them to be able to forget the tragic experience, the family then decided to transfer to the barangay proper of Mababangbay.

Profirio then built a small house for their shelter.

To provide a living, the couple managed a coconut land for which they earn 15,000 per semester. “ Hindi sapat ang kinikita para sa araw-araw naming pangangailangan (Our income is not at all enough to support the daily needs of our family)," sighed Virginia.

The couple considered their family blessed because it was upon their transfer to the barangay when the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program started implementation.

The health and educational needs of the children were responded and the couple is regularly attending the Family Development Sessions (FDS).

Virginia said their role and responsibilities as parents were enhanced.

It was also through the FDS that they came to realize the importance of availing the health services, particularly for the children.

She never joined any organization before but because of the program, she became active in all the activities in the barangay and she was even chosen as a parent leader.

It was also in the same year when another poverty-alleviation program embraced the barangay; the Self- Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran Program (SEA-K) -- a scheme of the Sustainable Livelihood Program.

Virginia was among those who qualified for the program and after going through the process, she received a grant of of Php 10,000.

She used the amount in opening a sari-sari store.

While she manages the store, her husband is also working in the farm.

Within two years, they were able to pay back the capital assistance they got and with a good credit standing, a grocery in Pioduran, Albay (where she gets her merchandise) offered her to get Php 35,000 worth of goods on consignment basis.

She then did not hesitate to accept the offer and in one month Virginia was able to pay the whole amount.

A few months later, using a simple mathematics, Virignia made an accounting on how the business was doing.

Her husband is also engrossed in his farm work.

The couple‘s strong partnership in earning a living earned a good result and the two have also started their hog-fattening project.

The family has now enough food for the family and is now able to support the school needs of the children.

“Madalas ko na rin dalhin ang aking mga anak sa doktor para makasiguro ako na maayos ang kanilang kalusugan (I now regularly bring my children to the doctor to ensure that they are in good health)," Virginia claimed.

From an abode of somber cogon grass and bamboo, the Lequin’s now have a house made of concrete materials and can now call it a home suitable for dwelling.

Ask her about the life now, Virginia proudly enthuses that they can now get together more often, have enough food on the table and there is always money in their pockets for emergencies.

The couple became also active in all community activities.

Mabangbaybay is also a recipient of the Kalahi-CIDSS for which the involvement of the couple has been sought.

Protacio has been a volunteer in the construction of the farm-to-market road and also in the installation of water system, while Virginia is a member of the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee.

Protacio and Virginia did not stop dreaming and striving to improve their status in life and with the proper attitude and right values, the fulfillment of their dreams is now within their reach.

Legazpi City, DOLE distribute livelihood project starter kits to 215 skilled persons

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

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 4 (PNA) -- At least 215 skilled persons of this city are now ready to embark on livelihood projects with a set of Kabuhayan Starter Kit Tools each they received from the Legazpi City government through Mayor Noel E. Rosal and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The recipients of the kits were 49 food processors wherein each one received a steamer, gas stove, gas tank, burger grill, aluminum stand and buffet tray; 40 beauticians, barbers and therapists who received blower, hair iron, scissors, razors, foot reflex, parlor chairs and exercise mats; 51 sewers who received one sewing machine each; and 61 carpenters, masons, welders, technicians and electricians who got a welding machine, hammer, grinder, electric drill, saw and planner each.

Fourteen other skilled persons received their own tools like fishermen, fishing engine and boat; peddlers, pedicabs; floral arrangers, a foam and floral wire; and the physically-challenged, guitar and key board.

Rosal said the starter kit project will open windows for opportunities to all the recipients to improve their skills and abilities.

The city chief executive said the tools and materials distributed to the beneficiaries will be used for their livelihood activities to increase their daily income that will result in the uplift of their living conditions.

He pointed out that the starter kit project is part of an income-augmentation program and sharing responsibilities between the city government and the DOLE.

Rosal thanked the national government through the DOLE for being a partner in this livelihood program.

He said the recipients of the project are skilled people who studied at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other alternative learning centers and schools but they have no tools and materials for operating livelihood activities.

Rosal said that the city administration has given the recipients an orientation as part of enhancing their abilities and skills that they would become profitable and successful business persons.

He said only one member of every family is required by the DOLE to become a beneficiary of this program to give other people a chance to enjoy the benefit of the project.

This starter kit project is one form of livelihood strategy by the DOLE that is intended to improve socio-economic activities in the community.

UNICEF gives P 8.6M for Albay's health projects, DRR tools

(PNA), CTB/FGS/RBB/CBD/UTB

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 3 (PNA) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) allocated Php 8.6 million for Albay's health projects to develop tools and training modules in assessing health system resilience, UNICEF Country Representative for the Philippines Lotta Sylwander said.

The UNICEF forged a partnership with the provincial government of Albay and the Bicol University led by its President Dr. Fay Lea Patria M. Lauraya to develop resilient systems and build the capacities of local governments and national agencies on disaster risk reduction (DRR) projects here.

Sylwander said the partnership is in recognition of the great work of Albay as model of a climate change adaptation (CCA) and DRR.

"This partnership is in recognition of the great work of Albay Governor Joey Salceda in the area of climate change and disaster risk reduction. We want to tap the rich experience and expertise of Governor Salceda and his team to build systems and approaches that will help make other local governments more resilient," she added.

The partnership initially covers projects on health and DRR where the UNICEF poured in US 0,000 or an equivalent of PHP 8.6 million.

Cedric Daep, chief of Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), who represented the governor, said the project will greatly help in improving DRR by giving full support to the children -- making them more resilient, physically and psychologically.

Lauraya said her office entered into an agreement with UNICEF and the provincial government of Albay to make the higher institution closer to the community, specifically to the grassroots and local government units, as the best line of defense in DRR management.

"We developed partnership with local government units and provincial government officials led by Governor Joey Salceda as this is a very good opportunitybecause we're offering Master in Disaster Science. I'd like to thank UNICEF and the provincial government of Albay for giving this wonderful partnership to build a resilient community," Lauraya said.

Albay is the pilot area in the country for this remarkable program of the UNICEF and the tools that will be developed will be shared to 70 provinces across the country, where the children will be part of the DRR resiliency.

Albay marks Ola Day, inaugurates hero's museum

(PNA), LAM/FGS/AMM/CBD/JSD

GUINOBATAN, Albay, Sept. 2 (PNA) -- The local government of Guinobatan, Albay, inaugurated on Tuesday the "Museo de Guinobatan" on the occasion of the 149th birthday of the last Filipino general to surrender to American forces during the Philippine-American War.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared Sept. 2 as Ola Day and is a non-working holiday in Albay in honor of Gen. Simeon Arboleda Ola.

The activity started with a mass at 7:30 a.m., followed by a flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremony at the Ola monument, blessing of the museum and military parade.

Guinobatan Mayor Ann Gemma Ongjoco said that in honor of the military exploits and heroism of Ola during the American war, they will open the museum to the public where people can see the records and memorabilia on his life and history.

The local government allocated Php 7.8 million for the Museo de Guinobatan located near Ola's statue.

"We will collect all the memorabilia of Ola from his relatives to display it in the museum. By this, we can show him that we are proud to be Guinobateṅos. This is our pride. We can be like him, we can be a hero -- not by death but by doing good deeds to other people," Ongjoco said.

Based on Philippine history, Ola was born in the town of Guinobatan on September 2, 1865 to Vicente Ola and Apolonia Arboleda.

Ola's first dream was to be a servant of God and so he enrolled in the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary in Naga City but he continued his studies in Philosophy at the University of Nueva Caceres, also in Naga City.

He, however, didn't finish the course as he later joined the local unit of the Katipunan in the neighboring Camalig town.

Ola was later promoted to the rank of captain by General Vito Belarmino, the zone commander of the Revolutionary Forces in the Bicol Region.

He was again promoted to the rank of major after an ambush mission that led to the capture of three Americans -- one Dubose, Fred Hunter and a certain Russel -- on January 23, 1900.

The Albayano katipunero continued to fight against the Americans in Arimbay, Legazpi City in February until August 1902 and led the attacks in the town of Oas and an American detachment at Macabugos, Ligao -- both in Albay.

Due to his continuous attacks in the province, the Americans decided to end Ola’s activities and sent emissaries -- Ramon Santos and Major Jesse S. Garwood of the Constabulary -- to negotiate for his surrender, but Ola refused.

He launched subsequent attacks in the towns of Oas, Ligao and Jovellar in Albay.

After realizing that he could never win the war, he immediately set an agreement with Colonel Harry H. Bandholtz, the assistant commander of the Constabulary in Lucena, Tayabas (now Quezon), on the condition that his comrades would be granted amnesty, justice and fair treatment.

Ola was put on trial, proven guilty of sedition and sentenced to 30 years in prison on September 25, 1903 but was granted executive clemency on October 8, 1904.

When he returned to Guinobatan, the revolutionary official later entered politics and won as town mayor in 1910 to 1919.

He died on February 14, 1952 and was interred at the Roman Catholic Cemetery of Guinobatan.

To recognize his greatness, the former American Regan Barracks was later named after him and now known as the Camp General Simeon A. Ola, the present regional police office, in Legazpi City.

Ola has a statue on horse back at the town proper of Guinobatan and another in the regional police office, which was built during the time of former Bicol police regional director, Chief Supt. Marcelo Navarro.

Albay province celebrating Gen. Simeon Ola’s 149th birth anniv

(PNA), LAM/JDM

MANILA, Sept. 1 (PNA) -- Classes in all levels in Albay province will be suspended Tuesday in celebration of General Simeon Ola’s 149th birth anniversary.

Hailing from Guinobatan, Albay, General Ola led the Bicolanos in their fight for freedom. He is the last revolutionary general to surrender at the end of the Philippine-American War.

To commemorate his heroism, the government, through Proclamation No. 865, has declared September 2 as a special non-working day in the province.

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