Palawan News July 2014

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Palawan - Archived News
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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

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Undergroud River in Palawan
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Underground river in Pureto Princesa, Palawan
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Baracuda Lake, Coron, Palawan

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.
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U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie A. Kenney and USAID/Philippines Environment Office Chief Daniel Moore witness the safe and sustainable collection of ornamental fish by certified Marine Aquarium Council collectors in Palawan

Town residents in Palawan call on PCSDS to familiarize them on wildlife act

(PNA), FPV/CARF/RTR/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 31 (PNA) – Residents of Barangay Berong in the southern Palawan town of Quezon are calling on the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) to check if there are any other saltwater crocodile that inhabits their river and to inform them further about the Philippine Wildlife Act.

The call came following the capture and unfortunate death of an 11-footer male saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) more than a week ago in the river in Berong, and the trapping of a larger 16-feet crocodile in Barangay Rio Tuba in the neighboring town of Bataraza early Thursday morning.

Berong barangay chairman Pio Hablado said it was indeed unfortunate that the male saltwater crocodile that was captured by villagers in the river died while being transported to Puerto Princesa City.

However, he cannot also discount the fact that the villagers got scared since they frequent the river to wash clothes, and since their children go there to swim.

Hablado said this after information spread that villagers, who are involved in the capture of the reptile, might be liable for violating the Philippine Wildlife Act that bans it since it has not been proven that it is a “problem crocodile.”

As of press time, there is no word if a move to file violation of the law has been done by the PCSDS.

Hablado said seeing the crocodile was a surprise for residents of Berong, and though there is the Philippine Wildlife Act, none of them is quite familiar about it.

“It would be better if the PCSDS can help us check if there is still any crocodile in Berong River, and if they can inform us further about the wildlife act. Or what to do in case residents see one again,” Hablado said.

In response, Alex Marcaida of the PCSDS, the policy implementing arm of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), said it is okay to go to Quezon to conduct information and dissemination about the wildlife act.

Crocodiles are known to go up to the riverbanks when they are basking, when they are in search for food, and when their habitats are experiencing human disturbance, or worst, being destroyed.

Meanwhile, the 16-feet saltwater crocodile believed to have attacked and killed a fisherman in May, and which was trapped also by villagers Thursday, is now being transported to the Palawan Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Center (PWRCC) in Barangay Irawan.

Palawan Court to issue verdict on Tubbataha intruders on Aug. 5

By Tetch Torres-Tupas (INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines—The Palawan Court is set to issue its verdict on the 12 Chinese fishermen arrested last year after their vessel ran aground on Tubbataha Reef, a government prosecutor said Wednesday.

Provincial Prosecutor Allen Ross Rodriguez said Palawan Regional Trial Court Branch 51 has set the promulgation on Aug. 5.

The Chinese fishermen have been charged with a case for violation of Republic Act 10067 or the Tubbataha Protected Area Law f 2009 for poaching and Article 212 of the Revised Penal Code for allegedly attempting to bribe officers of the Tubbataha Management Office in exchange for their release.

Park rangers recovered from the fishermen’s vessel around 400 boxes containing slaughtered anteaters or “balintong.”

The grounding of the Chinese fishing vessel occurred three months after the USS Guardian, a minesweeper of the US Navy, also ran aground on the reef, destroying more than 2, 000 square meters of coral reef.

The same court is also handling the case of the nine Chinese fishermen apprehended for poaching off the Half Moon Shoal or Hasa-Hasa Shoal some 60 nautical miles from Palawan early this year.

1st Palawan Youth Leaders’ Summit 2014 set

(PNA), LAM/CARF/CIC/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 29 (PNA) -- The first ever Palawan Youth Leaders’ Summit 2014 is scheduled in this city on September 18 to bring together more than 200 delegates from around the Philippines for two days of knowledge sharing, leadership training, and networking.

On the pre-summit meeting held Monday at the Camp Gen. Artemio Ricarte here, Pinag-isang Lakas ng mga Kabataang Lider ng Palawan (PIGLAS) chairman Ryan J. Abueme said they will act as main coordinator for youth organizations, thus assuring them of help in terms of formulating and recommending measures that could be done for the betterment of the community particularly in youth empowerment and participation.

The summit is being organized by PIGLAS as its first project. PIGLAS started from the preparatory congress workshop of the participants for the National Youth Leaders’ Congress organized by the Western Command, where 16 youth leaders from different sectors in Palawan.

The Summit aims the youth leaders to learn to exercise leadership effectively on behalf of the issues that they care about deeply; share ideas and learn from distinguished leaders and innovators from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors; and become part of a powerful global network of bright and accomplished youth leaders, Abueme said.

“The Summit desires to empower, organize and mobilize the top youth leaders of Palawan and introduce to them the role of the National Youth Commission and PIGLAS on their respective organizations. By choosing delegates from different sectors, we envision that they will embrace our advocacy in Tourism, Culture and Arts, Environmental Protection and Nationalism and help build a better Philippines for us, and the next generations, to live,” Abueme added.

Puerto Princesa installs TV in city hall lobby for President Aquino’s SONA

(PNA), FPV/CARF/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 28 (PNA) -- Mayor Lucilo Bayron had television monitors installed at the lobby of the City Hall Building in Barangay Sta. Monica Monday for employees and visitors to be able to watch President Benigno Aquino III’s state of the nation address (SONA).

City Information Officer Henry Gadiano told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in a telephone interview that Bayron ordered the installation of television monitors at the lobby to allow employees, visitors, and other spectators at the City Hall to watch President Aquino address the nation regarding accomplishments of his administration.

“The city mayor also wants our employee to take interest in what’s going on in the country, and know the achievements of their country through the leadership of President Aquino. Even visitors of the city government, or those who are transacting business here, can watch at the lobby,” Gadiano told the PNA.

As for Bayron, Gadiano is not sure where he will be watching because as of press time, he is still welcoming 30 candidates of the Mutya ng Pilipinas, who are in the city for a pre-pageant activity at Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa.

“Yes, the mayor will be watching the SONA because it’s important to be updated, to know also what are President Aquino’s thrusts, and if there are good news too, about Puerto Princesa,” he said.

At the Provincial Capitol Building, information officer Gil Acosta told the PNA that Governor Jose Alvarez is currently on travel in Palawan, but is sure to watch President Aquino’s SONA.

“Governor Alvarez said he will watch the SONA. Palawan is one of the Philippine important tourism destinations, and there might be good news so, he will surely watch. There might also be development projects that the President might announce, we will standby to hear,” Acosta said.

PAGASA: Occasional rain over Palawan; light rain over areas

By Joel Locsin/DVM (GMA News)

Palawan will have occasional rain on Sunday, as the Visayas; the Bicol, Caraga, Davao regions; and the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon will be cloudy with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms.

Weather service PAGASA also said that Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Winds will be moderate to strong from the southwest to west over the eastern section of the Visayas and of Mindanao. Coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough.

Winds will be light to moderate coming from the southwest to west over the rest of the country, with slight to moderate seas.

Meanwhile, PAGASA forecaster Meno Mendoza told dzBB radio that, as of 4 a.m. Sunday, a low pressure area was located 790 km east of Borongan, Eastern Samar.

Measures taken to keep Palawan free of illegal logging

(PNA), CTB/DENR-PR/PJN

MANILA, July 26 (PNA) -- Local government and environment officials in Palawan have taken proactive measures to ensure that no illegal logging activities are conducted in the province.

The multi-sectoral Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force (AILTF) of Palawan, led by Gov. Jose Chaves Alvarez and DENR’s Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Juan C. dela Cruz, has been reactivated following reports that timber products from the province are being illegally shipped to Malaysia.

Dela Cruz said task force members, including representatives from the military and police, have agreed to take the following steps to curb the supposed illegal logging trade between Palawan and Malaysia:

• Personnel of the Maritime Special Boat Unit were immediately deployed in all identified possible outlets like in the municipalities of Bataraza and Balabac;

• The Philippine Navy will conduct naval patrol blockade and apprehend all suspected vehicles transporting illegally cut forest products and wildlife;

• All detachments of the Philippine Marines and the Philippine National Police will arrest poachers and illegal transporters within their areas of jurisdiction;

• The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of Quezon and Brooke’s Point were directed to coordinate with military and police detachments in identified hotspot areas and to conduct anti-illegal logging operations.

Earlier, the provincial government of Palawan raised alarm over the rampant illegal logging trade between Malaysia and the province, noting that Malaysian authorities were allegedly freely allowing illegal logs to enter Malaysia through the town of Kudat in Sabah.

Records from the port of Kudat showed that in January this year, 27 motor launches had unloaded logs coming from southern Palawan and that another 12 motor launches unloaded the same cargo in Kudat in June.

However, the AILTF said there was no confirmation that all lumber and rattan poles discovered in the Malaysian port did come from southern Palawan.

The task force cited intelligence report from military and police authorities that most of the vessels carrying the contraband were registered in Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.

It also noted the possibility that some of the timber products originated from another province since the photographs of timber products seemed to compose mostly of softwood and planted species, which are not among the hardwood species found in southern Palawan forests that have been recorded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Meanwhile, Regional Director Oscar C. Dominguez of the DENR Region 4B-Mimaropa has advised Dela Cruz to request the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Puerto Princesa City in investigating the boat owners and to coordinate with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

Domiguez thanked the provincial government and law enforcement agencies in Palawan for their immediate action even as he promised that the DENR will continue to “employ necessary interventions,” with the full support of all stakeholders, to ensure a “more systematic response to illegal activities not only in Palawan, but in the entire Mimaropa region.”

Palawan to enter into compromise agreement with nat’l govt for Malampaya share

By Celeste Anna R. Formoso [(PNA), CTB/CARF/UTB]

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 25 (PNA) –- Palawan will be entering into a compromise agreement with the national government regarding Malampaya shares after President Benigno Aquino III’s state of the nation address (SONA), according to Governor Jose Alvarez.

The provincial governor disclosed Friday morning at the Conservation and Missionary Electrification Forum at the VJR Hall, Capitol Building that after the SONA on Monday, he will be representing Palawan in the inking of a compromise agreement for the release of Malampaya funds.

He said that pending the decision of the highest court regarding the case that the national government filed against Palawan receiving shares as stated in the Local Government Code (LGC) during the term of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President Aquino’s term is amenable to advance releases.

Alvarez said to participants in the forum after the SONA, it is possible that he will be meeting with the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Power Corporation (NPC), and Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza to discuss the parameters of the shares Palawan will be receiving in advance, and possibly in tranches, from the Malampaya-Deep-Water-Gas-to-Power (MDWGP) project offshore.

If the national government did not file a case against the provincial government’s share, Palawan was supposed to receive more than P74 billion, according to the governor.

Out of the share that the province stands to receive in advance, Alvarez said 80% or more than P56 billion will go to electrification projects and programs for Palaweños, while 20% will be allocated for the provision of alternative and income-generating livelihood activities.

Meanwhile, also in the forum, Kilusan Love Malampaya (KLM) Chairman Cesar Ventura, expressed support to the eventual signing of the compromise agreement.

As chairman too, of the Joint Energy Development Advisory Group-Technical Working Group (JEDAG-TWG), he fully supports Alvarez’ proposal as the planned use of the Malampaya share is based on what is stated in the local government code.

He disclosed that if shares have already been received as a positive offshoot of the compromise agreement, the provincial government and JEDAG-TWG will immediately proceed to working to resolve Palawan’s energy woes.

Ventura said too, that if the current per kilowatt hour is being paid P14.00 by consumers, the governor wants it lowered to P10.

It can be recalled that in January, the provincial government announced that four resolutions have been approved to resolve Palawan’s power problems from a conducted energy summit.

The first measure that the participants nodded to, was the strengthening of the framework to push forward the Government-Enabled Participative Small Island Grid Power Development (GEPSIGPD).

This means the opportunity to welcome private sector participation (PSP) in power generation in off-grid islands and isolated areas.

The second measure was the consolidation of the 20%-40% increase in load forecasting that will be submitted by the Joint Energy Development Advisory Group-Technical Working Group (JEDAG-TWG).

Ventura said however, that this will remain open for any changes whenever fresh data comes in.

JEDAG-TWG is a body created by the provincial government leadership to take care of matters pertaining to Palawan’s energy development and sustainability.

Third was the adoption of the next work plans of JEDAG-TWG in relation to the issue of energy of the city and province, and fourth, the adoption of the Palawan Power Situationer and Outlook that was presented by DOE Sec. Carlos Jericho Petilla.

On Thursday, the board of directors of the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) and the Busuanga Island Electric Cooperative (BISELCO) also expressed their trust and confidence that Alvarez’ leadership would be able to provide power all over the province by 2016.

Shellfish ban still up in Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa City

(PNA), LAP/CARF/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 24 (PNA) -– The shellfish ban is still up in Honda Bay in this city, according to the Palawan Red Tide Laboratory (PRTL) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Felina Cabungcal, aquaculturist at the PRTL, said residents of the city are still being warned against collecting, selling, and consuming shellfishes from Honda Bay because per Wednesday’s result of their laboratory test, red tide toxins remain present from samples collected from the waters in the site.

The ban is continuously imposed on shellfishes from Honda Bay, as well as Canigaran area, and Barangay Bancao-Bancao.

“Yes, the ban remains in the area because the samples we’ve taken from there for plankton analysis still have the red tide toxins. Yesterday, laboratory results showed the toxin from algal blooms have not been removed,” Cabungcal said in interviews.

People who have consumed shellfishes with red tide toxins may experience disorientation, vomiting, and weak respiratory system, among others.

Cabungcal said this is what they want to avoid that is why they monitor shellfish samples from Honda Bay on a weekly basis.

“Every week, we take samples from there, and we test them in the laboratory to determine if the red tide toxin is no longer present. Unfortunately, there still is,” she said.

Algal blooms happen naturally from “coastal upwelling as a result of the movement of certain ocean currents, in others they appear to be a result of increased nutrient loading from human activities,” according to researchers.

Cabungcal said they will make information available as soon as the ban has been removed.

Tabon Cave in Palawan hosts 3rd Intl Field School Managing Prehistoric Heritage in Southeast Asia

By Celeste Anna R. Formoso (PNA), CTB/CARF/JSD

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 23 (PNA) – For the third time, Palawan the "3rd International Field School Managing Prehistoric Heritage in Southeast Asia", in the southern historical town of Quezon where archeologists from different countries, the National Museum, and the University of the Philippines (UP) are participating.

Provincial Information Officer Gil Acosta said Tuesday that currently, archeologists from France, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Laos, and also from the National Museum and UP under the Archeological Studies Program, are in Quezon town in southern Palawan taking part in the international field school that started since July 7 and will end on July 26.

The team of archeologists is led by Dr. Francois Semah of the Museum National d’ Histoire Naturelle based in France, Dr. Eusebio Dizon of the National Museum of the Philippines and other experts in the field of Geology and Environmental Archaeology, as well as its other branches.

They are in Tabon Caves, Quezon to conduct scientific digging to locate other artifacts that have connections to the history of the country, according to Acosta.

Accordingly, the group carefully excavated Tabon Caves after conducting surveys in possible sites that are 4x4 square meters in size.

The collected artifacts are delicately sifted with the soil they have, and are studied for identification. Acosta said the soils are also returned to where they were taken by the archeologists.

The collected human bones, ceramics, shells and others at the cave system are being examined by a group led by Nida Cuevas of the Archeology Division of the National Museum, Acosta said.

The information officer explained the study being conducted by the archeologist is important because of the new artifacts discovered in Tabon Caves. It will also help provide more information regarding the early people who lived in Palawan.

The archeologists believe that what they have dug will make a big contribution in the research that experts are conducting in the world.

Part of the activity, according to Acosta, is exchanges of ideas and experiences regarding their specializations.

Archeologists from Malaysia and Laos, he said, shared their experiences on how their countries protect important burial sites, and what programs are being done to present them to tourists and young researchers.

Search on for next batch of Tubbataha Youth Ambassadors in Palawan

By Celeste Anna R. Formoso [(PNA), LAM/CARF/JSD]

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 22 (PNA) -- The Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) in close cooperation with the Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced Monday that it is now ready to look for a new batch of youth ambassadors to advocate for the conservation of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP).

“If you have the passion for conserving the marine environment and would like to make an active contribution, then you must be the one we are looking for,” says TMO information officer Glenda Simon.

Simon said the park management is inviting “all spirited Palaweño youth, who want to become marine advocates and leaders” to apply for the opportunity.

The TMO is looking for college graduates, between 20-30 years old, with good oral and written communication skills, and currently residing in Palawan, particularly in areas, where marine protected sanctuaries have been established.

She said they must also have regular access to the Internet, competent in online browsing, social networks, and others, to be able to reach out to more youths.

In addition, Simon said, the applicant must be endorsed by the barangay or the municipality to represent a marine protected area or sanctuary in the community where he/she lives.

“The applicant must also be willing to commit to initiate a project or activity within his/her community,” she added.

If the applicants get shortlisted, Simon said they will have the chance to learn through the Virtual Camp, a six-week online learning exchange platform.

Only five (5) among all the shortlisted applicants will be named this year’s Youth Ambassadors.

The chosen ambassadors will have a week-long Live Camp which is packed with activities such as trainings, field exposure to selected protected areas in Palawan, and youth forum.

They will also receive technical assistance in implementing their proposed activities in their community.

Aspirants must submit a completed Application Form with a recent 2 x 2” ID photograph to the Tubbataha Management Office at the Caltex Gas Station, Barangay San Miguel in the city.

Barangay execs in Puerto Princesa cut down old trees to prevent accidents

(PNA), LAP/CARF/MEC

PUERTO PRINCESA, July 21 (PNA) -- Barangay officials in Sicsican in Puerto Princesa are rushing to cut down old fire trees and prune some to prevent them from falling and hurting residents due to non-stop rains and strong winds Sunday.

Barangay Sicsican chairman Noel Española said the Kilos Agad Action Center (KAAC) of the City Government is helping them clear old fire trees by the highway to prevent accident.

Trees that are not in danger of falling, and have deeper roots, on the other hand will be pruned so they would not affect power lines that can cause power outage in this city.

Española said that four trees had been rooted out of the soil due to heavy rains and strong winds Tuesday. One fell on the roof of a home; fortunately, no one was hurt.

The fire trees that will be cut will be replaced in a tree planting activity with those that can grow deeper roots, according to him.

In Barangay San Pedro, one of the largest barangays near the center of the city, minor floodings have been recorded due to complaints by residents.

At the Puerto Princesa Underground River, all tours to the famous subterranean cave have been cancelled, affecting 500 travelers.

PPUR park superintendent Elizabeth Maclang said the cancellation was issued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Palawan due to a "gail warning" from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Maalang said the affected tourists will be rebooked to enter tomorrow if the weather clears.

Sonny Jurilla of PAGASA in Palawan said the heavy rains being experienced in the province are due to effects of typhoon Henry.

Under the gail warning, fishing boats are also not allowed to venture into the high seas.

As of current, the city is experiencing a power outage as well as other municipalities connected to the grid.

Palawan Electric Cooperatives Information Officer Vicky Basilio said their technical team is still looking into what may have caused the blackout.

Developing El Nido the right way

By Paolo G. Montecillo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

As more tourists discover the natural wonders the Philippines has to offer, those managing one of the key attractions in the country’s so-called last frontier have a conundrum at their hands.

Should tourists—and the job-creating money they spend—be welcomed, or is the strain on the environment their presence brings really worth all the pain?

Former Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim says the answer lies in the “happiest place on earth,” Disneyland.

“How does Disneyland do it? How do they manage huge crowds, and still manage to not have everyone going to the same place?” he says at a recent tour with journalists.

Depending on a person’s age, Disneyland is either a dream-come-true or an expensive way to spend the day covered in sweat. For Lim, however, Disneyland and other theme parks offer valuable lessons for policymakers managing the country’s tourism sector.

Lim chairs El Nido Foundation Inc., a privately-funded non-government organization that has over the decades worked with Palawan’s government to develop, promote, and protect El Nido.

Nestled between limestone cliffs, El Nido was a sixth-class municipality near the northernmost tip of Palawan. The first real resort for tourists was Miniloc, which was put up in 1993 by a joint venture between Japanese businessmen and the local Soriano Group, which Lim used to work for.

Back then, it was made up of seven cottages built on stilts over the water. “It had rudimentary facilities. Rooms didn’t even have their own toilets,” Lim says.

Until recently, El Nido, named after the soup made of bird’s nests that are harvested from nearby-caves, was fairly secluded from the rest of Palawan. Most commercial flights to Palawan go to the provincial capital of Puerto Princesa—which used to be a 12-hour drive of unpaved roads from El Nido.

Flights of under an hour from Manila to El Nido are also available, but tickets are pricey because supply is tight. The route is served by a boutique airline using 50-seater propeller-engine planes, which are about the largest type of aircraft the town’s short runway can accommodate.

Palawan has also enjoyed (or suffered) a bad reputation over years. Sitting on a separate tectonic plate as the rest of the Philippines, Palawan used to host one of the country’s largest penal institutions. People with leprosy also used to be shipped off to the province. Malaria outbreaks in the past also served as a turn off to most tourists.

As a result of this seclusion, Palawan’s natural resources have remained relatively untouched; its forests remain intact, most of its reefs still teem with marine life, and many white sand beaches remain pristine.

Now, roads have improved and more affordable hotels and inns have been put up, resulting in an influx of tourists, leading to more jobs for the town’s citizens. One drawback, however, is that the growing tourism sector threatens the area’s main attraction: its natural beauty.

Two decades ago, El Nido’s economy depended solely on fishing, with many boatmen using dynamite to get bigger catches. These days, protecting fish, not catching them, has become the town’s bread and butter. Last year, 62,960 tourists came to El Nido, the most the town has ever gotten in history.

“There has been some overcrowding at some sites, especially the popular ones,” El Nido Foundation executive director Irma Rose Marcelo says in an interview. “Right now, tourism is focused on just four tours, when in fact, there are a lot more places to see,” she tells the Inquirer.

These four boat tours, labelled by locals as A, B, C, and D, take visitors to the most popular islands, beaches, and snorkeling areas that El Nido has to offer. Marcelo notes, however, that other unexplored areas are just as scenic.

“There’s no magic number on how many tourists El Nido can accommodate. It’s just a matter of spreading them out and educating them,” Marcelo says.

She adds the foundation has initiated discussions with El Nido’s local government for possible imposition of limits on the volume of tourists that can take certain tours every day. New tours that bring visitors to other “attractions” are also being designed to give tourists more choices.

Spreading tourists out over more sites, however, would be useless if these visitors continue to damage the environment, Marcelo says. Seemingly innocuous things such as taking home small bottles of sand or seashells as souvenirs, touching corals, intentionally or accidentally, and even feeding fish with pieces of bread upset the ecosystem that is El Nido’s main selling point.

The El Nido Foundation, Marcelo says, is one of the local partners of a United Nations Environment Programme project called Green Fins, which seeks to promote “sustainable” snorkeling and scuba diving in ecotourism hotspots in Asia.

Instead of dealing directly with tourists, the Green Fins projects works with scuba dive shops and snorkeling tour operators. Operators of these businesses are trained by Green Fins partners on how “sustainable” scuba diving and snorkeling tours are done.

If this knowledge translates into actual practice, these businesses are accredited by Green Fins as eco-friendly shops.

The Green Fins approach goes beyond training tour operators to tell their clients not to touch corals. To gain accreditation, these businesses are also barred from using dead marine life like clam or turtle shells as storefront decorations. Boats they own must also have proper waste management systems, which include functioning toilets.

“The simplest rules are just don’t touch (corals), don’t feed the fish, and don’t kick over any corals. They’re pretty straight forward but you’d be surprised at how often they are violated,” says Jerker Tamelander, head of the UNEP’s Coral Reef Unit.

The biggest no-no under the Green Fins project is the use of steel anchors at snorkeling and dive sites since the damage this causes to corals can take years to rebuild.

“It’s a code of conduct to mitigate the threats of diving and snorkeling on reefs,” says Samantha Craven of the Reefworld Foundation, the international coordinator of the Green Fins initiative.

Participation in Green Fins is optional. The main upside for resorts and tour operators to becoming Green Fins members is gaining the image of being environment friendly, which can be used as a marketing tool to attract tourists.

“We encourage them to use their Green Fins membership to show that they adhere to best practices,” Tamelander says. Once the project is more well-known among scuba divers and avid beachgoers, Tamelander hopes that businesses with Green Fins membership would be actively sought out by tourists.

Outside of Palawan, the Green Fins project is also being implemented in Boracay, Batangas, Cebu, and Puerto Galera, among others.

“When someone goes to El Nido, they will seek out operators that have the Green Fins logo,” he says.

Tourism’s importance to El Nido cannot be doubted, and because of that, its natural beauty must be protected. “Resorts are buying goods and giving people jobs. It’s the tide that raised all boats,” Lim says.

The only way to secure the town’s enduring success, he says, was to protect the environment—a task that would require the cooperation of all stakeholders.

“The Japanese have an unusual philosophy. I came in with the Soriano group and our Japanese partners told us to take care of the locals and the environment and the (tourists) will follow. It made business sense. It came from the heart too,” Lim says.

Shellfish ban up in Masbate, Palawan, Samar coastal waters

From report of Robert Mano (dzMM , ABS-CBNnews.com)

MANILA - The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has implemented a shellfish ban in some parts of Masbate, Palawan, and Samar due to red tide.

The BFAR said the collection, sale, and consumption of shellfish from the coastal waters of Mandaon in Masbate; Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; and Ilong-ilong Bay, Maqueda Bay and Villareal Bay in Samar are not allowed.

It said the areas tested positive for paralytic shellfish poison or red tide toxin.

Meanwhile, a shellfish ban also remains raised in the towns of Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Orani, Abucay, and Samal in Bataan.

Red tide is a common name for algal bloom, a phenomenon wherein there is an increase in the amount of algae found in bodies of water.

This phenomenon depletes oxygen in the water and releases toxins that can cause illness and poisoning.

Philex Petroleum unit revives talks with CNOOC over joint exploration in West PH Sea

By Krista Angela M. Montealegre (InterAksyon.com)

MANILA - Philex Petroleum Corp has sent word that it is interested in reviving talks with China National Offshore Oil Co. Ltd. (CNOOC) over an oil and gas prospect off the West Philippine Sea.

On the sidelines of the PLDT SME Nation Future Talks forum on Friday, Philex Petroleum chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan told reporters that Forum Energy Plc has "sent feelers" to its Chinese partner for the resumption of talks for the joint exploration of Service Contract (SC) 72, saying now is the appropriate time to resume discussions.

CNOOC has yet to respond, but its reply “will be a factor as well that would determine our own plans in 2016," Pangilinan said.

"Even as a matter of courtesy, we should advise them that this is what we're planning to do and so forth," he said.

"We're at the basement of the discussion. This will take a long while," he added.

Forum Energy is "considering how to mobilize the resources needed for the appraisal wells by 2016" after the Department of Energy (DOE) granted the company early this month a one-year extension of its drilling program, or up to August 15, 2016, to complete its obligations under the second phase of SC 72.

"We can [start] but as you know, we are part of an overall, broader geopolitical situation so we have to be sensitive to them," Pangilinan said.

"Before we can agree, we have to get the respective agreement of our governments. Kasi di naman kami makakagalaw kung walang approval ng government natin. I'm sure sa kanila ganun din," he said.

Philex Petroleum is spending $60-70 million to drill 2 appraisal wells in SC 72. Pangilinan had said it may start drilling in the first quarter of 2016 since it may take about 6-12 months to prepare for it.

Forum Energy, which is 60.45 percent owned by Philex Petroleum, operates the petroleum block located in offshore Palawan.

Forum Energy had been in talks with CNOOC for a possible joint exploration of SC72 but the ongoing territorial dispute in West Philippine Sea has been a major hindrance to developing the area.

"They're a major oil firm in China that has an experience in oil exploration and drilling. They're a fully-integrated oil company so they'll bring the level of expertise we don't have ourselves. Of course, they could provide or procure the funding, looking to them for assistance in procuring and providing fund in case there's gas and in the development of the gas field we would look to them," Pangilinan said, referring to CNOOC.

Exploring for new gas fields is urgent, as the 25-year shelf life of Malampaya, the Philippines' only natural gas field of commercial scale, will last only until 2024. Malampaya supplies 40 percent of Luzon's electricity requirements through 3 power plants in Batangas.

The Sampaguita field, which is covered by SC 72 in the Recto Bank, is estimated to have gross reserves of over 11 trillion cubic feet of gas, an independent study commissioned by Forum Energy earlier showed.

The volume dwarfs the Malampaya natural gas field's reserves, which is placed at 2.7 trillion cubic feet, and could supply the Philippines' gas requirements for up to a hundred years.

InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which Pangilinan also chairs.

DSWD-MIMAROPA to deliver assistance to Glenda-affected areas in Palawan

(PNA), LAM/CARF/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 17 (PNA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region-IV B (MIMAROPA) has been closely monitoring areas that were hit by typhoon Glenda to deliver necessary assistance to affected families, including those in the Calamianes Group of Islands in Palawan.

Jason Eco Oliverio of the MIMAROPA office said a total of 100 food packs have already been distributed to the affected families of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

As of this writing, 2,333 families were reported affected, 14 houses completely damaged and two individuals from Marinduque died as a result of the typhoon.

Out of the 52 evacuation centers activated across the region, only 8 remain occupied.

The department assured that support for the families affected are currently being given.

Oliverio said the social welfare regional office has a total of 3,076 stockpile stored in the affected provinces of Marinduque, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Romblon and Palawan to ensure timely distribution of relief packs.

Palawan PDRRMO monitors situation as 'Glenda" pummels province with heavy rains

(PNA), CMR/CARF/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 16 (PNA) -– As Typhoon Glenda (Rammusan) wend its way across Luzon, Palawan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) spokesperson Rosalie Buenconsejo said Wednesday that they have been on full alert since two days ago because of Glenda although the province is not directly in the path of the typhoon.

Its heavy rains were still felt late Tuesday night until early morning Wednesday in this province.

As of press time, weatherman Sonny Pajarilla of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) in Puerto Princesa, said Signal No. 1 due to Glenda is still raised in the Calamianes Group of Islands as it leaves the Philippine area of responsibility (AOR).

Glenda is expected to be in the West Philippines Sea Wednesday afternoon.

Fishermen in Palawan, who wish to go on fishing trips in the disputed region, were warned to remain safe in their coastal communities until strong winds and waves have waned.

Buenconsejo said that they have been specifically monitoring the Calamianes, where four towns are under Signal No. 1, such as Busuanga, Culion, Coron and Linapacan.

In the northern mainland Palawan, she said the PDRRMO is monitoring the municipality of Roxas, which is prone to flooding even from slight rainfall.

In the southern part of the province, flood and storm surge-prone areas like the towns of Quezon, Brooke’s Point, Sofronio Española, and Balabac are also under strict monitoring by the PDRRMO.

“Because Signal No. 1 is up in the Calamianes, we have activated as early as two days ago with their MDRRMOs (Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices), for smooth coordination on relief efforts in case something happen due to Glenda,” Buenconsejo said.

This time however, she said it’s not just about strong rains and strong winds but food supply for families in the coastal village who depend on fish catch to survive.

“Governor Jose Alvarez instructed us to focus on food supplies. Of course, the weather is still expected to clear on Friday, but families need to eat. What will happen to fishermen families if they can’t go to the sea until the weather clears? So, we’re prepared with food supplies,” she said.

Buenconsejo added that they have not yet received any report of families being evacuated due to Glenda in the Calamianes.

In Puerto Princesa, typhoon Glenda caused a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight to delay its return Tuesday evening to Metro Manila.

Buenconsejo said that per report to the PDRRMO by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the PAL flight sought shelter from Glenda at the Puerto Princesa City International Airport.

Flights by Cebu Pacific and Air Asia-Zestair also did not return to Manila on Tuesday to avoid Glenda.

102 female carabao breeders undergo artificial insemination in Palawan

(PNA), FPV/CARF/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 15 (PNA) -– Some 102 female breeder carabaos (water buffalos) underwent artificial insemination (AI) conducted by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) as a banner service for farmers and as part of the training of voluntary technicians.

Dr. Darius Pe Mangcucang said Tuesday that the female carabaos came from different parts of Palawan: 36 from Brooke’s Point and 25 from Sofronio Española in the southern part of the province, and 23 from Taytay and 18 from Dumaran in the north.

The AI was done, he said, separately on the carabao breeders from June 30 to July 10 facilitated by him, Dr. Carla Limsan and Dr. Benito Del Rosario with the technicians they have trained from the four municipalities.

Mangcucang said the activity is part of furthering the training of voluntary technicians.

The provincial veterinarian said the result of the AI was positive since the number of bovid reached more than a hundred.

However, he also said that not all that were brought were artificially inseminated because some were already pregnant while some were not yet matured enough.

The spermatozoa inseminated to the bovid breeders were from the Indian Buffalo, a large bovid that is said to be especially suitable for tilling rice fields and whose “milk produce is richer in fat and protein than that of the dairy cow.”

”Female carabaos that are not yet in heat but can already be pregnant were, for the intervening time, injected with prostaglandin hormones to induce them to bear calves.

Mangcucang said some of those that were not inseminated also underwent deworming and were given vitamins, including the pregnant ones.

Meanwhile, he also announced that the technicians they recently trained will be attending the Basic Training Course on Artificial Insemination and Pregnancy Diagnosis in Large Ruminant at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños from August 6-30, 2014.

The participants will come from the municipalities of Araceli, Rizal, El Nido, Roxas, Narra, Quezon, Aborlan, San Vicente and Bataraza.

Their training will be done in two weeks in UPLB while the practicum will be done in Palawan.

After their training, Mangcucang said they will provide support to the PVO for the Comprehensive Artificial Insemination Breeding Program.

Mangcucang, Dr. Del Rosario and Dr. Limsan have undergone the same training with four other technicians from Brooke’s Point, Sofronio Espanola, Taytay and Dumaran last March.

He said the AI is one of the provincial government’s star project in helping the bovid become more productive for the farmers.

Scientists seek Mt. Cleopatra protection

By Redempto D. Anda (Inquirer Southern Luzon)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines—For a biologist like Kyra Hoevenaars, who has lived and studied the wildlife and forests of Palawan province for years, Mount Cleopatra is a special place.

“Almost everything that you will find there, especially the mammals, they don’t exist anywhere else in the world,” Hoevenaars told the Inquirer.

One of the highest peaks on the island, Cleopatra has attracted the attention of the international conservation community, prompting US-based funding organization Rainforest Trust (formerly World Land Trust) recently to raise a fund pooled from private donations worldwide to encourage Philippine authorities and concerned groups to have it placed under formal protection by having it declared a national park.

In a post on its website, Rainforest Trust said it had “played a central role in the creation of 73 new protected areas in 20 countries while working with local organizations that empower indigenous people to steward their own resources” since its founding in 1988.

Last of the Batak

More than just being a biological gem that is worth preserving, the intact forest land sprawling over at least 30,000 hectares on the northern edge of Puerto Princesa City is also home to the last of the Batak tribe, an indigenous community of hunters and gatherers whose population has dwindled to just about 200.

“We started this initiative as an expressed desire of the Batak, who acted as our guides when we did several treks to Cleopatra’s Needle (the mountain’s peak, so called because it is narrow and elongated) to profile the place,” Hoevenaars said.

Last week, Rainforest Trust announced on its website that it had reached its target of $203,956 in donations to support biodiversity conservation efforts for Cleopatra.

The fundraising effort was started by a Palawan-based private group, Center for Sustainability, which did an initial biological assessment of Cleopatra and discovered its uniqueness.

Pleased with support

Hoevenaars, executive director of the Center for Sustainability, said her group was pleased with the initial support it had received from local and national groups for the conservation initiative.

“We have received the support of the city government (Puerto Princesa), Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (now Biodiversity Management Bureau) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, all the barangays (villages) around the targeted area and, most important, the Batak who live around Cleopatra,” she said.

The center said it aimed to get Cleopatra declared a protected area under local legislation, “then, [we hope], a national park under the Nipas (National Integrated Protected Areas System) law.”

Corridor link

Underlining the importance of Cleopatra, according to Hoevenaars, is its linking the vast expanse of the remaining forests of northern Palawan to the southern mountain ranges of the province.

In conservation science, linking patches of important ecosystems is key to ensuring the viability of the unique plants and animals that live there.

Having Cleopatra declared a protected area would link the mainland forest corridors of Palawan, including St. Paul mountains, where the famous Underground River is found.

The provincial government has announced plans to have more than 60,000 ha of remaining forests around the northern towns of Roxas, Taytay and San Vicente declared a protected area.

Palawan’s overall forest cover is the highest in the country, accounting for more than 40 percent of the island’s land area.

Considering that only about 3 percent of the Philippines’ original forests remains, Palawan is carrying the torch of forest conservation.

Unique ecosystem

“Eighty-five percent of Palawan’s endemics are found on and around Cleopatra’s Needle. The lowland forests included in the proposed reserve are home to the last viable populations of several critically endangered species,” Rainforest Trust said.

It listed 31 endangered and threatened species inhabiting the forests of Cleopatra’s Needle, including the Palawan hornbill, Palawan peacock pheasant, Palawan scops owl, Palawan flycatcher, Palawan bearcat, Palawan leopard cat and Palawan flying squirrel.

“What makes Cleopatra interesting to science is its varied ecosystems—lowland, riverine, ultramafic and mossy and cloud forests on top. There’s an ample lot of knowledge useful to man that are waiting to be found,” Hoevenaars said.

(According to geology.com, ultramafic, or ultrabasic, refers to the igneous rock with very low silica content and rich in minerals such as hypersthene, augite and olivine.)

Rare frog

On a recent expedition to the summit that took three days of walking, Hoevernaars’ group rediscovered the Palawan toadlet, a rare species of frog that lives only on high-elevation mountains.

“We found the Palawan toad, which was previously thought to be extinct,” she said.

She said that because of the large number of creeks, waterfalls and rivers in perfect condition, the area played an important role in the survival of aquatic and semiaquatic species in Palawan, like freshwater turtles, amphibians and otters.

The region is also known to host endemic plants, including Cycad palm and pitcher plant species, found only on Cleopatra’s Needle.

Large butterfly

Among the animals found only in Palawan and known to live on Cleopatra’s Needle is the Palawan birdwing, one of the world’s largest butterflies, with a wingspan of 20.32 centimeters.

“The southern and eastern hills of Cleopatra’s Needle are home to the last populations of the endangered Palawan horned frog and nearby creeks contain the largest remaining population of the threatened Philippine flat-headed frog,” Rainforest Trust said.

It said evidence suggested that the endangered Palawan toadlet could also be found on Cleopatra’s Needle, “although this has yet to be confirmed.”

Matching donations

Rainforest Trust said it continued to receive donations and had offered to match additional donations at a 1:3 ratio.

Shasha Maguad, legal officer of Environmental Legal Assistance Center, said her group “welcomed this plan, as this area has long been threatened although identified as [a key biodiversity area].”

“We hope that concerned government agencies will conduct consultations among [indigenous peoples] and other [concerned groups] to broaden interest and support,” she said.

The magical beauty of Palawan’s Club Paradise

By Feliciano Rodriguez III (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

It was drizzling when we landed at Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Coron, Palawan. Good thing the SkyJet plane had umbrellas for each passenger. We then rode a van that would take us to Club Paradise.

Half an hour of traveling on rough roads was made pleasurable by the resort’s tour guide. He regaled us with his vast knowledge of Palawan geography and history.

The view on the road was stunning: the rough splendor of the landscape enhanced by the beauty of the ironwood trees all around; hills littered with cows and lush greenery. This was beginning to feel like a real safari experience.

Approaching the harbor, there was a faint sound of beating drums, which turned out to be the Club Paradise band formally welcoming us.

From the harbor it took a 30-minute boat ride—highlighted by schools of fish swimming in the clear waters—until we reached the lonely and secluded Dimakya Island, home of Club Paradise.

The resort’s facilities were designed not to encroach on and ruin the natural surroundings. We were told that resident bats in the surrounding trees migrate every night to a nearby island to feed. It was fascinating to watch them. We also spotted monitor lizards swimming and lounging about in the swamps in the middle of the island.

While sipping iced cucumber and calamansi juice at the reception, we were briefed on the things we could do in the resort. And then we were led to a hidden beach with huts, where a lunch buffet was waiting.

The food was delicious, but something remarkable happened after the sumptuous meal. We were drowsy from all that eating and the trip from Manila. So we half-jested that it would be nice if our group could have brewed and iced coffee. A few minutes passed, the tables were cleared, and we were handed our room keys.

We were talking about the next day’s itinerary when a kayak sailed to the beach. To our pleasant surprise, it was our coffee being delivered—piping hot, with the iced coffee still cold. We laughed while applauding the resort’s initiative and excellent service.

Club Paradise’s Coron Family Tour consisted of five destinations: Kayangan Lake; a boat ride to a smaller island, Banul Beach, for lunch; on to Siete Pecados (Seven Sins) for some snorkeling; Twin Lagoons; and the natural salt baths of Maquinit Hot Springs.

The trip to Kayangan Lake started early because we had to take the boat again from Dimakya back to the harbor to board vans that would bring us to Coron Island. It was somewhat confusing because a number of places in Palawan (especially the northern part) is named Coron. In the Palawan language it means red palayok—which is what the red clay soil in the town reminds you of.

Coron Isand was otherworldly, with an enchanting, mysterious skyline. The view is dominated by limestone mountains filled with bonsai trees. It was breathtaking, and this sight alone made the trip to Palawan truly worthwhile.

A short but difficult mountain climb led to Kayangan Lake. The lake was clean, cool and charming.

After swimming in the lake, we went to Banul Beach for lunch. The smell of pork barbecue filled the air, but the buffet had a distinctly seafood theme: kilawin fish, seaweed salad, clams, crabs, grilled tuna. It was like being in culinary paradise.

Siete Pecados was surrounded by small limestone mountains. The boat anchored in the middle of the sea, where we spent time snorkeling and exploring the renowned coral reefs of Coron.

The water was so clear you could see the coral reefs and fish even without submerging yourself. We were not really into snorkeling, and just standing in the water yielded a wonderful surprise—spotting a Nemo (clown fish) and Dory (royal blue tang fish).

Divers can explore numerous Japanese shipwrecks in the area. (Forbes magazine has dubbed the shipwrecks in Coron as one of the best scuba diving sites in the world.)

Then off we went to Twin Lagoons. Again the boat stopped in the middle of the sea, which was surrounded by picturesque mountains. We had the unique experience of swimming in one lagoon and going through a narrow hole that led to another lagoon—which was contained inside imposing limestone rock formations. It was one of the most beautiful sights we have ever seen.

There was an unusual sensation when swimming in the Twin Lagoons—the upper part of the water was cool, while the lower part (if you are swimming horizontally, from the chest to the feet) was warm.

The last destination, Maquinit Hot Spring, was the perfect place to rest; the natural salt bath in this volcanically heated hot spring was invigorating.

Back in the hotel, another sumptuous buffet was laid out. While partaking of the feast, we were thinking of the soft bed in our room.

It was difficult to leave Palawan, although we smiled at the thought that when we go back, the magical beauty of Club Paradise would always be there.

Log on to discoveryhotels-resorts.com or clubparadisepalawan.com; call tel. 7196971 to 74.

For flight bookings to Coron, call tel. 8233366; log on to skyjetair.com

5 must-visit places in Coron, Palawan

By Karen Flores (ABS-CBNnews.com)

Looking for a place in the Philippines to visit in summer next year, or even during the lean months? Make sure that Coron is part of your list.

Located in the province of Palawan, Coron is known for its crystal clear waters, powder white sand and marine biodiversity, making it ideal for nature lovers, photographers and people who want to break away from the buzz of city life.

During a familiarization tour organized by Club Paradise Resort in Dimakya Island and Skyjet, ABS-CBNnews.com and selected members of the media were given a tour of some of the must-visit places in Coron.

Kayangan Lake

Dubbed as the cleanest lake in the country, Kayangan Lake is one of Coron’s most photographed attractions. Surrounded by limestone cliffs, the lake is a mix of freshwater and saltwater, making it a great place to swim.

The scenic view is well worth the steep 300-step climb, which can get quite slippery.

Banol Beach

Small and peaceful, Banol Beach is ideal for picnics and lazy afternoons.

Twin Lagoon

The Twin Lagoon is divided by a huge limestone wall. Boats can dock at the first lagoon, while the second one can be accessed by going under a small crevice (or climbing a ladder over the rock during high tide).

Make sure to wear your life jackets as the Twin Lagoon is around 60 meters deep, according to our guide. The water here is brackish, which is said to be the reason behind the changing temperatures.

Siete Pecados Marine Park

Siete Pecados Marine Park is teeming with marine life and is a wonderful place for snorkeling and diving.

This place is enough reason to buy an underwater camera.

Maquinit Hot Spring

Said to be the only saltwater hot spring in the Philippines, Maquinit Hot Spring is surrounded by trees, rock formations, mangroves and cottages.

The water has a temperature of 39 to 40 degrees Celsius, according to our guide, and is a great way to relax after a long day of island hopping.

Palawan to host 1st Gov. JCA Women’s Regu Sepak Takraw Championship

(PNA), LAM/CARF/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 11 (PNA) – The municipality of Narra in southern Palawan will be hosting this month the first-ever 1st Governor Jose Chaves Alvarez Women’s Regu Sepak Takraw Championship at its gymnasium.

The championship, scheduled on July 14 to 18, will have young female athletes 17 years old below as competitors from different towns in the province.

Organizers are expecting at least 10 sepak takraw teams to participate in the tourney from the towns of Cuyo, Brooke’s Point, Narra, Quezon, Araceli and Taytay.

The championship aims to select the athletes who can enter the national pool for training as a sepak takraw team, according to Cesar Cases, coach and trainer of the Sepak Takraw of the Provincial Sports Office.

Athletes who will be selected, he said, will also be formed into a team to compete and try their luck at the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games that will be held in Labuan, Malaysia in December.

The tourney also aims to develop and improve sepak takraw as a worthy sports in Palawan among young females, as well as encourage others to engage in the game, according to Cases.

The quartering for those who will qualify to the national pool will be done in the province.

Qualified athletes will receive their training allowances, clothes and other uniforms, from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). They will also become part of national and international games.

Meanwhile, Cases said a seminar will also be conducted for referees and officiating officials of sepak takraw on July 12 to 14.

Aside from lectures, there will also be a practicum and actual refereeing for the participants, who are from the Department of Education (DepEd) in Palawan. After this, they will be given accreditation as national umpires, and can already be referees and officiate sepak takraw in the national games.

The trainers will be Jaime Mora, head coach of the Philippine Women’s Sepak Takraw National team; Nestor Aquino, president of the Sepak Takraw Referees Association of the Philippines; and Cases.


State of the City Address presented by Puerto Princesa Mayor

(PIA-MIMAROPA/VSM/PIA4B/Palawan)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, July 10 (PIA) — A year after assuming the highest executive post of the city government, Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron reported this morning the achievements of his administration in his first State of the City Address (SOCA).

“We will build a ’City of the Future’ sa pamamagitan ng participatory, consultative at demoktratikong pamumuno,” the Mayor said.

Flagship programs include the construction of the Sabang Terminal Building, an Integrated Fishport Terminal, Canigaran Footbridge, 5,000 capacity convention center and the adoption of renewable energy in the city hall complex.

“The construction of the new Sabang Terminal Building is long overdue and the PPUR as a World Heritage Site requires also a world-class support structure,” the Mayor said.

He said that the design and other technical aspects are already being finalized and that the Tourism Infrastructure & Economic Zone Authority (TIEZA) pledged to provide initial funding for the project.

He said that the DOTC project of construction of the Ph3.3B international airport in the city will further promote tourism because of expected direct flights to and from other cities in the country and in Asia.

The Mayor said that the construction of an Integrated Fishport Terminal will enhance productivity of local fishermen and develop value-added fishery products. Palawan province and the city provide about 60 percent of the fish supply in Metro Manila.

About 5,000 people from all walks of life listened to the Mayor’s one hour presentation which also alluded to the huge debts and cash deficit of the previous administration as his biggest challenge to date.

In spite of the huge debts and other financial obligations, the Mayor said that his administration was able to achieve modest accomplishments to solve the many problems that burdened the start of his term.

Of the Ph159M debts of the previous administration since 2010, only Ph13M remains unsettled. The city government was able to pay its Ph32M obligations to Palawan Electric Cooperative, contractors are paid on time including the remittances to GSIS, and PAGIBIG.

“Learning from the past, kung hindi tayo matututo mula sa pagkakamali at pagkukulang ng mga nauna sa stin, we may end up committing the same mistakes,” the Mayor said.

Capacity building program for food safety, sanitation management commences in Palawan

(PNA), LAP/CARF/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 9 (PNA) –- The Palawan State University (PSU) in this city recently pioneered the conduct of a 10-day “Training of Trainors on Food Safety and Sanitation Management” with the support of the Center for Health and Development (CHD) of the Department of Health (DOH) and its MIMAROPA Regional Office.

The 10-day training revved up the capacity development program that is directed towards enabling government agencies to assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in strictly following food safety standards as a vital means to improve their products and increase competitiveness, particularly in the expected integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2015.

The University of the Philippines-Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP-ISSI) provided the design of the module that was used for the first training, which aims to equip identified trainers from Palawan with compulsory and essential technical inputs for the subsequent conduct of the “Food Safety and Sanitation for Food Inspectors” training that will be assisted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Food and Drug Administration (BFAD), and local government units (LGUs).

In a media conference Wednesday, Dr. Fe Ricon, the PSU Presidential Assistant for Campus and Institutional Development, affirmed the role of the university in the advocacy for food safety in Palawan and the country.

“The PSU will stand on its commitment to re-tool and revitalize the food safety and sanitation front liners in Palawan, in the region, and beyond,” she said, establishing that the pilot training will be followed by a similar capacity building exercises in the coming months.

The participants to the training that started on June 30, and ended Wednesday, included representatives from PSU, the FDA, DTI-Palawan Provincial Office, El Nido Municipal Health Office, and the Southern Palawan College.

While the training was programmed for the government sector for a start, industry leaders also participated.

“One of the next steps to be undertaken is to provide similar training for the MSMEs in the food and health, and wellness sectors. Palawan, which is one of the primary tourist destinations in the Philippines, has to step up collective efforts for the conformity of its products with recognized standards. If not, we will lose even our local market to global competitors that will soon offer equivalent, standards-accredited products right in our midst,” said by DTI-Palawan Provincial Director Rosenda Fortunado.

The training of trainors forms part of the capacity development program envisaged by Dr. Ariel Valencia, the deputy director general of the FDA, who welcomed the partnership with the DTI Bureau of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (BMSMED) and the DTI-led Trade Related Technical Assistance Project 3 (TRTA 3) to address the general lack of technical knowledge of government employees serving the food and drug sectors of the country, as well as equip MSMEs with better appreciation for the FDA-issued license to operate (LTO) as a crucial key for their sustained access to the markets, both local and international.

Valencia said the training is an example of how the government is serious in resolving the concerns of the people, especially food safety that the FDA is trying to push forward.

“The FDA as a government regulator is looking into its role… practically, anything you eat, anything you drink, anything you use in your face, in your skin, anything… the medicine you drink, you inject… is regulated by FDA. So, they can’t be without FDA,” he said in promoting the training of trainors for food safety and sanitation management.

The FDA, he furthered, does not only want to be remembered as a regulator but also as a scientist based on the standards on food safety it promotes, based further on scientific evidence they find and turned into standards or guidelines to keep the public safe.

“Aside from this… being scientists… we are also the vanguard of health, to take care of public health,” he said, adding that more than 50% of what is spent by an individual is regulated by FDA.

“Ultimately, the integration of our standards-conforming MSMEs into the global markets through established value chains will help the country achieve the targeted inclusive growth,” Valencia said, as he lauded the DOH-MIMAROPA Region, the DTI, the PSU and other partner agencies.

Nestor Rañeses, chief of the UP-ISSI, on the other hand, explained that for their part as an organic research and review center, created by virtue of Republic Act 6041, is in existence to help nurture and mature small-scale entrepreneurs.

The program will reportedly meet the requirements of the FDA, and will promote food industry competitiveness training program.

The module is centered on the food sector since it accounts for 50 percent of the MSMEs. “National Statistics Office information will show that 99.6 percent of all these establishments in the Philippines belong to the MSMEs sector,” he said.

In the context of ASEAN integration, Rañeses said opportunities are available, but while they are, challenges are also present such as the .4 percent big business establishments that can compete.

In this case, the MSMEs, without support might be left behind. “Our small businessmen, our entrepreneurs, they are the ones we want to support. This… what we have is actually, something that can help the food industry become competitive, be more productive, to make them quality-competent. Safety is included in the quality,” he said.

The sanitary inspectors were included, he stated further, because they can support the MSMEs and the food industry.

“Eventually, this program, this training… which will be conducted on 3,000 more sanitary inspectors, we just did it here in Palawan first… is to help small-scale entrepreneurs to really become globally-competitive,” Rañeses said.

Lady mayor eyes inviting Chinese tourists to scenic Coron town in Palawan

By Lyle B. Coruna (PNA), CTB/CARF/LBC/JSD

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 8 (PNA) – Mayor Clara Reyes of Coron in northern Palawan is targeting to capture at least half of one percent of China’s 80 million outbound tourists, who are known to be self-indulgent because they are well-heeled, to see and experience her charming island town.

The interest came following Coron's local government participation in the Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE) 2014 that was held on June 27 to 29 at the China National Convention Center (CNCC) in Tianchon East Road, Chaoyong District in Beijing.

The BITE, a “three-day mega tourism event, was an ideal venue for international showcase of destinations, tourism attractions, travel packages, products and services.”

It was organized in 2003, and is one of the fastest growing, most important and influential platforms for tourism networking and business transactions.

Reyes, who personally went with her municipal tourism team to Beijing to participate in the expo, said the Chinese tourist market is huge, and has 80 million outbound tourists annually.

“If we can invite at least half of 1% of their tourists, Coron tourism will become more alive,” Reyes said.

The optimistic lady mayor was accompanied by Coron's tourism players, one of them Michael Sadhwani of the Calamianes Association of Tourism Establishments (CATE).

“We are excited because it was a beautiful opportunity for the tourism industry in Coron,” Sadhwani said.

CATE President Chinchin Fernandez, on the other hand, said that when they went to Beijing, what was in their focus was to really display their beloved Coron as an ideal vacation spot for Chinese tourists, who are looking to travel to rest and recreate.

As a result of their successful participation, Kevin Wang, exhibition assistant manager of Conference and Exhibition Management Services in Beijing, China personally invited Reyes to participate in the China Guilin International Tourism Expo 2014 (CGITE) which will be held from August 29 to 31, 2014.

Aside from this, the Coron municipal tourism is also being invited to attend the Beijing Tourism Development Office (BTDO) in the 3rd Beijing International Tourism Commodities Fair to be held on September 10-13, also this year.

It is invited too, by Hannover Milano Fairs China project assistant Clair Su to participate in the joint venture Deutsche Messe and Fiera Milano Group, during the Guangzhou International Travel Fair on March 6-8, 2015.

According to Reyes, Xiaochen Li, CEO of Tour Link Land (TLL) Information Technology made an offer to set up a WeChat (the "Whatsapp of China") public account to promote Coron's tourism resources to potential Chinese travelers.

The TLL is the leading tourism information technology service provider in China. It is the same company which is handling the promotion development of the British Columbia Tourism Commission of Canada.

For the BITE, the Coron mayor and her team brought about 20,000 copies of tourism flyers, brochures and other informative materials to showcase her island town’s scenic and unique attractions, such as Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake, Malcapuya Island, Japanese shipwrecks for diving enthusiasts, and others.

New Puerto Princesa airport to attract 2 million visitors a year

(City Government of Puerto Princesa)

The new Puerto Princesa airport terminals and taxiways, to be designed and built by Korean Kumho Industrial Co. Ltd. for operation in 2017, is expected to attract 2 million local and foreign tourists each year, thereby boosting the city’s tourism and economy.

This and many other programs of current Mayor Lucilo Bayron were made possible because of good governance, which resulted in substantial inflows of investments and businesses in the city, thereby reversing the declining trend of the previous city administration.

The current Puerto Princesa airport can only handle 350,000 passengers a year such that when visitor arrivals shot up to 1.35 million in 2013, congestion and tourists’ disapproval found their way to numerous negative blogs on the internet.

At his state of the city (SOCA) address last July 7, Bayron said the next two years of his first term will produce concrete programs and projects to realize the people’s dreams and aspirations for a “model city of the future” through a wholistic development of the economy, tourism, agriculture, peace and order, people’s welfare, energy and infrastructure.

The World Heritage site, Puerto Princesa Underground River, will be re-developed with better facilities for the visitors so it can live up to its “outstanding universal value” along with the Sabang pier, whose landing planks are now slippery – posing a danger to the lives of tourists along with the unsightly tents surrounding the area.

Bayron said the Tourism Infrastructure and Economic Zone Authority (TIEZA) has pledged P50 million to design and build the Sabang Terminal Building and the architectural and business plans would soon be presented to TIEZA Chief Executive Officer Mark Lapid and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez.

Additionally, since 60 percent of fish sold in Metro Manila comes from Puerto Princesa and Palawan province, an integrated fishport terminal would soon be built to include ice plant, cold storage, processing plants and others to ensure that the province reaps full benefits from the fish catch. This would generate employment and various economic opportunities for the province. Other investments being planned for Puerto Princesa are the Canigaran footbridge, the 5,000-seat convention center and 2,000 capacity auditorium, the Baywalk restaurant complex to serve fresh seafoods and halal foods.

Bayron said business confidence has risen abruptly as evidenced by increased business tax collection of P13.3 million and real property tax collection of P9.2 million, from their previous deficit positions.

From the P159-million debts incurred by the previous administration (from 2010 to June 2013), this has been reduced to P13 million as of May 31, 2014.

So far this year, total investments in tourism-related business reached P3.4 billion or 575 percent from P599 million in 2013, excluding the P116.7 million in investments in subdivision projects.

Bayron said the Permits and Licensing Division reported 1,599 new business permits issued in 2014, an increase of 428 from 2013’s 1,171 issued permits. Capital investments also leapt by P69 million, clearly a vote of confidence by the business sector for his administration.

On peace and order, Bayron said the Philippine National Police reported crimes of 854, a decrease of 1,793 incidents from previous crime volumes. This is because of the closer collaboration among the PNP, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, barangays and residents in effecting the arrests of bigtime pushers.

On renewable energy, Bayron said city hall will generate its own electricity using solar panels. This project has been awarded to American solar company “Vis Solis” after proper bidding procedures were undertaken. A 2-MW solar plant at Sabang will begin construction in August to finish in six months. Another 6-MW hydro power plant is waiting for approval by Palawan Electric Cooperative to commence.

He said the city government is also discussing with four solar energy companies to install 10- to 20-MW solar power plants.

CBCP-Nassa builds ‘typhoon-resilient’ churches, chapels in 'Yolanda'-hit areas

(PNA), /FGP/RSM

MANILA, July 6 (PNA) -- The social action arm of the Catholic Church is building “typhoon-resilient” churches and chapels in areas hit by super typhoon "Yolanda" last November.

Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace (CBCP-Nassa), said the structures could withstand strong quakes and storms.

“We did an experimental project about this in Mindanao before, but because of Yolanda, we are implementing this in areas hit by the typhoon,” he said in an article posted on the CBCPNews website.

The project is part of Nassa’s P60-million pastoral infrastructure repairs program funded by Missio Aachen, a church-based funding agency in Germany.

Gariguez said the project covers 85 churches and chapels that were destroyed by "Yolanda" last year in four provinces in the Visayas with costs ranging from around P100,000 to P1.6 million.

“We are making sure that the architectural design is strong. We also followed the CRS (Catholic Relief Services) design of typhoon-resilient houses in rebuilding these churches," he added.

The Catholic priest noted that another purpose for this project is for the structures to also serve as evacuation centers during calamities.

“If you talk of resilience, it’s not only material things but also spiritual well-being of the people,” he said.

The project covers the restoration of at least 37 churches and chapels in Palawan; 33 in Leyte, three in Western Samar and 12 in Eastern Samar.

Meanwhile, the Nassa has appointed Fr. Emerson Luego, currently the social action director of the Diocese of Tagum, as the project manager.

Malampaya announces maintenance shutdown, power outage set July 12-13

From a report by Kristine de Guzman (Solar News Online)

The Department of Energy (DOE) says the Malampaya Natural Gas Facility off Palawan will undergo a two-day scheduled maintenance shutdown this month.

"It will be on the 12th and 13th. This is basically a weekend," Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said in a text message.

The DOE explains the facility will go through "pigging" which is basically using devices called pigs to perform various maintenance works in the pipeline.

"This has something to do with maintenance of the pipelines that funnel gas to the Ilijan power plants," Petilla added.

During the shutdown, the 1,200-mw Ilijan power plant in Batangas will not be able to produce any electricity to the grid.

The DOE, meanwhile, assures the public of sufficient power supply during the Malampaya shutdown as three base load power plants that earlier went on forced and scheduled outage will be back online by then.

It added that demand is normally lower during weekends.

Southern Palawan towns excited for major development projects

(PNA), LAM/CARF/UTB

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 4 (PNA) -- The municipalities of Balabac, Bataraza and Rizal in southern Palawan are eagerly awaiting the implementation of the provincial government of several major projects that could boost their developments and uplift the standards of living of their residents.

According to Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez, who turned 70 on June 29, the gift he wanted for himself is to see southern Palawan and its municipalities experience the growth they deserve after many years of floundering in poverty, particularly the residents, who live in distantly-located barangays that have pitiable access to almost everything.

In interviews, the province’s governor said that soon after the middle of this year, the operation of the Roll On, Roll Off (RoRo) ferry service link between Palawan, Philippines and Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia will begin and is expected to bring development to trade and commerce in the provincial southern part.

Alvarez said the RoRo link is positive since President Benigno Aquino III’ administration is also ensuring that it happens to bring much-needed changes in southern Palawan and its people.

“When this starts, tourists and businessmen, who want to go to Malaysia via the RoRo bus from Mangsee, Balabac to Kudat can already do so,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez called on students in southern Palawan to finish their courses satisfactorily this year to be able to obtain their legal documents and passports to work abroad since there are 20,000 jobs waiting for them in Malaysia.

The governor said the trade link between the Philippines and Malaysia through Palawan is a potential they should not miss, and it will only happen for them if they finish with good scholastic records.

He disclosed too, that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now working double time to rehabilitate and cement 45 kilometers of road from Barangay Rio Tuba, Bataraza to Barangay Buliluyan, Balabac at the southernmost tip of Palawan.

Cementing the said national road can have positive effects on businesses and other interests in Bataraza and Balabac towns, including farmers and fishermen who depend on their fish catch and farm harvests since they can already bring them faster to the town market to sell.

Alvarez furthered that the national government, per directive by President Aquino, will place as soon as possible locations that are not connected to the power grid under the National Electrification Administration (NEA).

This means areas in southern Palawan that have no 24/7 electricity supplies will get to enjoy them, “hopefully, starting next year,” according to him.

Beginning January next year, and when the heavy equipment the provincial government ordered arrives in December this year, Alvarez said he will be frequenting his monitoring all over Palawan to ensure that roads are fixed finally for easy access, particularly to the people who live in far-flung barangays and other remote territorial enclaves that form them.

Roads are important, he said, for development to continue to flow without easing off for residents, who depend on the yields of their farm and other livelihood activities.

In Rizal, Bataraza, Brooke’s Point, Narra, Sofronio Española, Quezon, and Aborlan – all in the southern part of the province, the governor said the coffee and cacao projects he signed with Rocky Mountain Arabica Coffee Co. (RMACC) and Kennemer Foods International Inc. (KFII) will push through.

He said that currently, the provincial government and the technical working group (TWG) he created to put it together, is now implementing coffee and cacao skills and technical training of residents, who are interested to avail of the project.

The provincial government, he additionally said, has also set aside P14 million for the purchase of cattle for initial distribution to beneficiaries in the towns of Bataraza, Rizal, and Balabac.

The governor added he is now in regular communication with the owner of the vessel in General Santos that will transport the cattle to Palawan.

The distribution of cattle is part of the platform of government he presented when he campaigned and ran in 2013.

Aside from these, the provincial government of Palawan also took a loan of P300 million, he stated, from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) that will be used for the construction of a seaweed processing factory in Bataraza, as well as the rehabilitation of its fish port.

Alvarez said families can earn as much as P400,000 annually through seaweeds if they have the knowledge on how to engage in the business properly.

“All these are for us to be able to lower the 63.8% poverty index that we have in the province. I appeal, of course, to all Palaweños to support their provincial government in all these endeavors,” he said.

DOH vows more assistance to barangay health workers in Mimaropa

By Luis T. Cueto [(JRM/LTC/LBR/PIA4B/Calapan]

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro, July 3 (PIA) – The Department of Health (DOH) will provide more support and assistance to all barangay health workers (BHWs) in MIMAROPA (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan) Region for them to effectively carry out their delivery of basic health services to the people.

This was assured by DOH-MIMAROPA Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo during the last week’s 3rd Community Volunteer Health Workers Convention held at the Puerto Princesa City Coliseum, Palawan.

As an initial hand-out, Janairo turned-over 20 utility bicycles to be used by BHWs in their delivery of basic health services in the community especially those in far flung areas where transportation is limited.

“We are identifying more areas in the region where we can provide simple but essential means of transportation for our BHWs to reach distant communities faster and more efficient. These bicycles will be the initial provision and we are looking to distribute more bicycles with sidecars to transport patients, boats or water ambulance and even horses in the mountainous areas of the provinces,” Director Janairo stated.

Janairo added that the bicycles are useful as a commuter vehicle and they are also equipped with a basket where a BHW can place his/her belongings. Aside from the bicycles, a BHW Kit with Blood Pressure Apparatus, first aid medicines and a vest for easy identification of the health worker will be given.

Currently, there are 13,765 BHWs serving in eight provinces of MIMAROPA with 239 males and 13,538 females. Oriental Mindoro has the largest number with 3,571; Palawan with 3,294; Occidental Mindoro with 2,360; Romblon – 1,879; Marinduque – 1,421; Calapan City – 480; San Jose – 458 and Puerto Princesa City with 302.

According to Janairo, the DOH regional office, in coordination with the local governments of MIMAROPA will aim to deploy more BHWs in all barangays in its provinces. “We will continue our series of BHW Training Course to upgrade the skills and competencies of both old and new health workers in the region to be able to attain the 1:20 ratio, meaning, one heath worker per every 20 households.”

Each BHW must be knowledgeable about Primary Health Care such as duties and responsibilities in the community as primary service providers, maternal and child health, disease prevention and control, intensive family planning, NHIP or PhilHealth, oral health and basic instruction on first aid during emergencies, the DOH official assured.

The target BHWs is 28,202 for a total population of 2,820,248 in the whole region. A total of 234 BHWs were already trained from March to May 2014 and are now deployed in six municipalities in the province of Marinduque and 14 municipalities of Oriental Mindoro.

A BHW is a volunteer health worker who has undergone a BHW training program accredited by government or non-government organization and accredited by the Local Health Board of the province.

Palawan declared ‘zone of sustained peace, development and prosperity’

By Celeste Anna R. Formoso

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez led Monday afternoon the signing of a statement with multi-stakeholders that declared the province as a “zone of sustained peace, development, and prosperity,” believing they are most consequential to his leadership’s poverty alleviation goals.

In a media conference, the Palawan governor called on representatives of the military, the coast guard, the religious sector, the non-government organizations (NGOs), government organizations (GOs), the academe, League of Mayors of the Philippines (LMP)-Palawan, Association of Barangay Chairmen (ABC), the women and children sectors, the indigenous sector, the business sector, the city government of Puerto Princesa, and others, to band together and support the local government in its aspiration to maintain a lasting accord in order to effect growth plans that could greatly reduce the province’s 63.8% poverty index.

Alvarez said no local government can achieve higher development and prosperity goals for its constituents without the presence of “sustained peace,” and without them supporting each other.

Reiterating his determination to make something progressive out of Palawan’s tourism industry to reduce poverty, the governor told stakeholders “to call his attention, and sit down with him over bread rolls (pandesal) and brewed coffee to resolve issues that may come up.”

“Should anything come up, I appeal to all of you to sit down with me. Let’s talk about your problems over cups of brewed coffee with pandesal to resolve them; let’s not immediately resort to drastic options… and I understand that when people have nothing to fill their stomachs, they recognize no law… so, let’s help each other in sustaining peace,” he said.

Among others, Alvarez disclosed to the attendees of the declaration signing that the plan to link Palawan to Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia via a sea transport service is ongoing under the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

Should this prosper, he said, the provincial leadership is hoping to bring at least one million tourists from Sabah alone to the province for Palaweños to benefit from, by means of livelihood.

He added that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now working double time for the concreting of the national road between barangays Buliluyan, Brooke’s Point and Rio Tuba, Balabac.

Alvarez also disclosed briefly that the provincial government has plans of putting up a seaweed processing factory in Balabac, and this had already been initially discussed during their planning for the 2015 budget.

Once set up, the seaweed processing factory can enhance Palawan’s potential to be recognized in the industry in the production of certain byproducts needed for food, agricultural, agri-chemical, biochemical markets, and others.

“I hope there will be no more so-called fireworks to be lighted like what happened last time at the Puerto Princesa Underground River and the Royale Bus Line,” Alvarez said, referring to the “fireworks” as the alleged bombing incident at the wharf in Sitio Sabang, Barangay Cabayugan here in early 2013, and the simultaneous incidents in El Nido and Puerto Royale Bus Company in April 2012.

Meanwhile, in reaction and in representation of the general Islam community in the city and province, senior Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)-Palawan leader Gen. Estino Jairi Ayyobie, assured Alvarez and other attendees of the event that they are “together with the provincial government in ensuring a sustained peace, development, and prosperity climate” in the province.

Still over a thousand all-in-all in the MNLF in Palawan, Ayyobie said he understands that the conflict is in some of their places in Mindanao that is why they are happy that in the province, there are moves to sustain peace and prosperity among people.

“We are very happy about this effort and move to sustain peace in Palawan,” Ayyobie said, adding that during the term of former city mayor Edward Hagedorn in May 2012, they also signed a declaration of peace.

In the current leadership of Mayor Lucilo Bayron, Ayyobie further commented, that they also signed the same declaration last year.

“Whatever happens in Mindanao, Palawan can rest assured that it will not be included in the conflict. We will abide by the declaration we have signed with the city, the province and the national governments. Here in Palawan, you can rest assured that we’re not holding any arms, not even knives,” Ayyobie strongly stated.

For their part, Western Command (WESCOM) Gen. Roy Deveraturda said that to sustain peace, development and prosperity in the province, “all must give profound respect for human rights, work together effortlessly to win over poverty, and humbly submit to the rule of law.”

“The Western Command is committed to continue with its mission to help in Palawan’s development. We must all do our share to maintain and sustain peace, development and prosperity by giving respect to the rights of the people that we serve, help alleviate poverty in the areas, where we operate, and implement the rule of law with respect again, to the rights of the people,” Deveraturda said.

Under the declaration, all signatories commit “to a deep sense of mutual responsibility to strive to continue and maintain the state of tranquility, where the citizens may live in a secure environment conducive to their growth.”

Among the signatories are Alyansa ng Palawenyong Mamamahayag (APAMAI), the Apostolic Vicariate of Palawan, the city government of Puerto Princesa through Bayron and Vice Mayor Luis Marcaida III, the Palawan Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Palawan Tourism Council, the Moro National Liberation Front, and the academe.

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