Palawan News May 2018

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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

DepEd-Puerto Princesa hosts regional ‘Brigada Eskwela’ 2018

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Some 500 elementary and secondary school teachers participated in the caravan that kicked off the 2018 Regional Brigada Eskwela on Friday morning.

The caravan began at 5:30 a.m. at the Puerto Princesa City Sports Complex and ended at the Palawan National School (PNS) at 7 p.m.

City DepEd education program specialist Cristina Ferriol said the regional kick-off was done in Puerto Princesa because it won last year in two categories – elementary and secondary.

“In the whole Mimaropa region, the regional kick-off was done here because, first, this city is beautiful, and because last year, it won in two categories. We were awarded last year the ‘Brigada Eskwela Best Implementing Mega Schools’ for two schools, the PNS and the Puerto Princesa Pilot Elementary School,” Ferriol said.

She said the goal of the kick-off ceremony is to engage the community in the one-week preparation for the opening of the school year.

DepEd Mimaropa regional director officer-in-charge Gilberto Sadsad, on the other hand, said he expects surrounding communities in the city to participate in preparing the schools before classes open in June.

“I am expecting that the residents of Puerto Princesa and Palawan will continue to help in preparing our schools for our students,” he said.

Under DepEd Memo No. 85, Series of 2018, the national kick-off was rescheduled for May 29, “but regional offices may opt to conduct their regional kick-offs starting May 21.”

The theme of this year’s Brigada Eskwela is “Pagkakaisa Para sa Handa, Ligtas, at Matatag na Paaralan Tungo sa Magandang Kinabukasan.”

Palawan gov’t eyes conversion of RoRo docks into cruise ports

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- The Palawan government is proposing to convert the roll on, roll off (RoRo) docks in the province into cruise ports, hoping to entice more companies in the industry worldwide to venture into the province and make it a cruise ship hub in Southeast Asia.

The provincial government believes that the conversion would further boost Palawan as a preferred destination in the travel industry, considering its unique natural sights and pristine environment.

Provincial Information Officer Gil Acosta Jr. said Wednesday that Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez has already pitched for the RoRo conversion plan to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade , including the funding that the province would need.

Proposed for conversion into cruise ports are the RoRo docks in Bataraza, Coron, and the one undergoing construction in the northern town of El Nido.

“Actually, funding is not a problem right now in the Philippines, especially in provinces like us that are ready and have plans to do it,” he said.

Their establishment is part of the provincial tourism development plan that seeks to make Palawan a cruise ship tourism center in the country and in the Asian sub-region, Acosta said.

“To achieve this goal, we have to set up the infrastructure, which is the only way to increase tourism,” he said. Acosta stated that in the past, Palawan, as the “last frontier,” has only received small funding allotments from the national government for infrastructure projects.

“It’s only now that they are investing so much in the province because they see that the provincial government is ready to absorb the funds coming from the national government,” he said.

During the recent inauguration of the San Vicente Airport, Tugade himself said that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte are supportive of the Palawan government’s tourism development plan.

“The Philippines is an archipelago consisting of many beautiful islands like Palawan, so we will entice international cruises to tour around here,” he said in San Vicente last May 10.

His comment was based on information from Governor Alvarez that they plan to expand to 500 meters the Buliluyan Port in Bataraza after an international cruise ship company expressed interest in bringing travelers to the province.

Acosta said the provincial government hopes the conversion would be included in the DOTr’s 2019 budget.

“What we’re trying is to set up the plan and then we ask budget from the national government because it will not be enough if we’ll just source it from our 20 percent development fund,” he said.

Palawan’s San Vicente town: Next clean-up drive target

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- After the clampdown on environment law violators in the municipalities of El Nido and Coron, the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblom and Palawan) will next bring its clean-up drive to San Vicente town in northern Palawan.

DENR Mimaropa Regional Director Natividad Bernardino said this is despite the fact that the municipal government through the leadership of Mayor Carmela Alvarez had already initiated the issuance of notices of violations to business establishments in Barangay Port Barton earlier.

“I visited San Vicente just recently, and the local government unit (LGU) issued, on its own, notices to easement violators in Port Barton. But we need to monitor the water quality in the area,” said Bernardino on establishments in the area that are dislodging liquid domestic wastes to the sea.

She said that in Long Beach, the easement zone being imposed is 50 meters, which is larger than those prescribed in El Nido and Coron towns.

San Vicente is a first-class municipality located in the northwestern side of the main island of the province and is 186 kilometers from Puerto Princesa City.

It is the first Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority in the province that is fast becoming a favorite tourist destination due to its fair sandy beaches and scenic island spots in Port Barton, and Long Beach, said to be the longest stretch of white sand beach in the Philippines.

“We only have a little problem in Port Barton because the water quality is already low. That is my suspicion, and that is where we need to do enforcement. But Long Beach is okay, we don’t have any problem so far,” she said.

Earlier, James Inawasan, the municipal administrator of San Vicente, said Mayor Carmela Alvarez had issued an executive order to survey the easement zone compliance of business establishments.

He said it was done in the first week of May. “We’re already in Port Barton, there is already a task force called ‘Task Force Save Port Barton.’ I am the head of the task force and we will be working there to assess the easement zone compliance of the establishments for two months,” Inawasan said.

He said the activity they are doing is like an “inventory,” where establishments and also households have already been told about their violation of the five-meter easement zones.

More than 200 establishments are now being surveyed and inventoried in Port Barton for compliance, Inawasan said.

“There are also many households, some of them are near riverbanks, so we have to check everything per order by Mayor Alvarez. If necessary, they have to vacate the easement zones and timberland areas,” he added.

DENR eyes forced demolition of non-compliant El Nido businesses

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- The regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has recommended the compulsory demolition of 32 business establishments in El Nido for failing to meet the 30-day deadline.

Regional Director Natividad Bernardino of the DENR Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) during the Tuesday question hour of the Palawan Provincial Board said she had discussed the matter with El Nido Mayor Nieves Rosento regarding business establishments that fail to comply in 60 days.

The local government unit (LGU) is tasked to implement the demolition if the establishment owners do not remove their structures in the easement zone.

“As for the 32 establishments, there are still who have not fully complied, but their deadline for compliance of self-demolition has already expired,” she informed the question hour presided by Board Member Winston Arzaga.

Bernardino said it has been more than two months since they issued the notices to vacate in March to owners of the businesses whose structures are within the three-meter easement zone.

Presently, she said that only three have followed the deadline set by the DENR. Five of the total number that had been served notices have not done any action, while the rest are in various stages of completion.

“The first batch of establishments that we have issued notices in barangays Buena Suerte and Masagana will be ordered to complete their demolition,” she said in an interview with the local media following the question hour.

She added the only remaining issue in the implementation of the El Nido LGU of the forcible demolition is heavy equipment. However, she has asked the provincial government of Palawan to help with this.

“I have asked the help of the provincial government to provide the necessary heavy equipment in El Nido for them to be able to do the forcible demolition of those who haven’t complied yet,” she added.

Bernardino was called to attend the question hour of the Provincial Board on Tuesday to shed light on the implementation of the cleanup drive in El Nido by the members, particularly Arzaga, who is worried about the welfare of the businesses and the residents.

He told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that he supports the DENR agenda 100 percent, but wants to ensure that the rights of the people are also protected.

“We are supportive of the DENR’s cleanup drive so the environment will not be abused. However, we also want to protect the welfare of the businesses and of course, the residents,” he said.

20 Vietnamese fishers nabbed off Palawan charged with poaching

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- The 20 Vietnamese fishermen who were arrested by the Philippine Navy inside the country's territorial waters in Palawan for alleged illegal entry and poaching of 175 assorted species of sharks and manta rays were brought to the Provincial Prosecutor's Office (PPO) for inquest on Wednesday.

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) charged the 20 Vietnamese fishermen working on board a Malaysian-registered fishing vessel with poaching.

Provincial Court Prosecutor Allen Ross Rodriguez said the inquest originally scheduled Tuesday afternoon did not push through as the PCSDS and the BFAR were unable to finish the documents before 5 p.m.

Rodriguez, who will investigate the poaching charges, said the PCSDS and BFAR have to thoroughly identify the species of the sharks and rays the Vietnamese fishers had on the Malaysian-registered fishing vessel to determine other cases.

He said the evidence and proof must be detailed for the prosecutor's office will depend on the documents that they will present.

"There's a need for technical details to determine what other possible charges can be filed against them. If the details are complete, we can make them our basis. They had to be seen by the court as they are evidence," he said.

The filing of illegal entry cases will be determined by the Provincial Committee on Illegal Entrants (PCIE), a special body created and task to handle foreign encroachment in Palawan waters, chaired by the commander of Western Command (Wescom) under Lt. Gen. Rozzano Briguez, he said.

As of this posting, no information has been received yet if the PCIE has already convened regarding the matter.

Meanwhile, Jovic Fabello, spokesperson of the PCSDS, said on Wednesday that the number of manta rays that were confiscated from two of three Vietnamese fishing vessels had already reached 160 and 15 sharks, as of latest inventory.

"The sharks and rays had been returned to the boat for storage because we don't have anywhere to put them. We are discussing if we have to bury them," he said.

The 20 Vietnamese fishermen were arrested on board Malaysian fishing vessels that were accosted by PC 375 of the Philippine Navy off Mangsee Island, Balabac, on Saturday.

Assorted shark, manta rays seized from Viet fishers in Palawan

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- A Philippine Navy patrol craft has taken under its custody a Malaysian fishing vessel with 20 Vietnamese crewmen and also seized over 60 assorted species of endangered sharks and manta rays found on board.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) field officer Mario Basaya said Tuesday that the Malaysian-registered vessel was seized around 9 a.m. on Saturday around 32 nautical miles southeast of Mangsee Island, Balabac in this province.

“There were 13 hammerhead sharks in their fishing vessel which is a highly protected species. So aside from illegal entry, they will be charged for poaching. There are actually three vessels but the other one was left in Mangsee as it could not run, and the others managed to get away,” Basaya said.

The boat captain was identified as 42-year-old Vo Qouc Phong.

Aside from the hammerheads, the BFAR inventory team also counted more than 20 different species of manta rays, 16 black tip, and 20 white tip sharks.

In hidden areas and storages of the boat, the BFAR and a team from Enforcement Unit of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) also recorded shark fins being dried.

“We will have to verify these figures because the way we look at it, there are so many,” he said.

Rene Sabio, the interpreter for the Vietnamese, said they are residents of a coastal village just a kilometer away from Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam.

He said the men were hired by a Malaysian businessman to work as the fishing vessel’s crew.

“They said it is their first time to work for the Malaysian fishing company, and they just want to earn a living. They did not know that they have already entered the Philippine territory as it was only their second day when the Philippine Navy caught them,” said Sabio.

PCSDS Enforcement Unit officer Michelle Sabuya said the 20 Vietnamese fishermen were scheduled to be brought to the Palawan Prosecutor’s Office for inquest.

PCG rescues Thai national after falling off a speedboat in Palawan

By Julius N. Leonen (/kga, INQUIRER.net)

A Thai national was rescued after falling off a speedboat in Coron Bay Anchorage Area in Coron, Palawan, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) disclosed on Monday.

In a statement, the PCG said a search and rescue team from Coast Guard Station (CGS) Coron spotted 28-year old Thailand national Veera Ponkaew 300 meters south of Coron port before dawn Saturday, May 19.

CGS Coron, the PCG said, was tipped off about the accident after 30-year old British national Joshua Stickland reported to authorities that his companion fell overboard before midnight Friday, May 18.

“The team immediately rescued Ponkaew and rendered necessary assistance. The victim was safely brought to Lualhati Wharf, Poblacion 3, Coron, Palawan where Mr Stickland was waiting,” the PCG said.

Further investigation by authorities revealed that Ponkaew went bar hopping with Stickland on Friday night before they boarded a speedboat anchored at Coron Bay Anchorage Area.

“While underway, Ponkaew suddenly lost balance due to drunkenness and fell overboard,” the PCG said.

“Mr Ponkaew is now in good physical condition. The two nationals were turned-over to Ms Sarah Clutterbuck, Mr Stickland’s fiancé,” it added.

Palawan to produce hybrid seeds

By Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines — The province of Palawan is gearing up for the production of hybrid rice seeds in a bid to improve output in the area.

Public hybrid rice will soon be available for Palawan farmers following a recent intensive training attended by the province’s agricultural workers.

Rice program project officer Marlon Montero said hybrid rice seeds in Palawan are being sourced from regions particularly Davao.

“There is a risk in procuring the seeds away from Palawan knowing that this can negatively affect the germination rate. With our current efforts, we may no longer need to buy seeds from other regions in the coming years,” he added.

Palawan targets to expand up to 1000 hectares of public hybrid rice production in the next planting seasons.

It is now conducting training for 40 agricultural extension workers and project implementers on hybrid seed production focusing on field and crop establishment and seed technology.

The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute said the training aims to ensure the high purity of seeds to be produced and that best management practices are adopted to achieve the highest potential yield of hybrid.

Public hybrid variety Mestizo 1 has an average yield of 5.4 metric tons per hectare up to 9.9 MT/ha and is highly recommended nationwide for its good eating quality and aroma.

Another variety Mestizo 20 can thrive in the most climatic types in the country and can yield from 6.4 MT/ha to 11.7 MT/ha.

The series of training is in support to the provincial government’s rice program, which provides hybrid seeds and farm inputs to about 400 farmer beneficiaries.

Refresher courses on seed quality assessment, seed certification, laboratory and field requirements and procedures were also discussed to seed inspectors.

Pa defends son from crocodile attack in Palawan

By Madonna T. Virola (/je, Inquirer Southern Luzon)

CITY OF CALAPAN – A father and his son were hurt in a crocodile attack at Balabac town in Palawan province Saturday afternoon, police said Sunday.

Supt. Imelda Tolentino, Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan (Mimaropa) police information officer, said Karik Asli Buara, 15, was preparing their motor banca at their house near the shore at Sitio (sub-village) Dumaga in Barangay (village) Salang to go fishing when a 15-feet long crocodile attacked and bit him at around 2 p.m.

Karik’s mother heard him shouting for help as the crocodile dragged him into the water.

She woke her husband Rosmin, who rushed swimming into the sea and stabbed the eye of the crocodile, which promptly let Karik go.

Karik and Rosmin, who was also bitten by the crocodile, were taken to the rural health unit for treatment.

Cruise-themed TLC show to feature Palawan: DOT

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora (PNA)

MANILA -- The Department of Tourism (DOT) announced Friday that the country's last frontier, Palawan, will be featured in the first-ever regional cruise-themed television program in the American channel TLC, as produced by the Asia Cruise Cooperation (ACC) and the DOT as one of its members.

The TV show will be aired in TLC across Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and India in the first quarter of 2019.

The DOT said the show consists of four episodes with 30 minutes running time, showcasing the traditions, cultural heritage, and natural wonders of Hong Kong, Sanya in Hainan, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and Palawan in the Philippines.

Among the destinations to be visited is Mt. Tapyas, a 210-meter mountain and the second highest peak in Coron that is perfect for sunset viewing, and the Maquinit Hot Springs, one of the only few saltwater hot springs in the world.

The regional TV campaign will feature friends aboard two celebrated cruise ships as they experience cruising and visiting the hosts' hometown.

According to the agency, "a digital marketer from a famous Filipino political family or a cooking competition champion" might be playing one of the program hosts for Palawan, touring his friend around the picturesque islands of Coron.

Palawan, which forms the Turquoise Triangle together with Manila and Boracay as identified by the National Cruise Tourism Development Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2022, was also toured by ACC executives during the 8th Asia Cruise Cooperation Working Group Meeting held in the country.

Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. and Assistant Secretary Maria Lourdes Japson represented the Philippines in the meeting.

Completing the six-man strategic alliance of ACC, formerly known as Asia Cruise Fund, are Xiamen in China and its latest member Korea.

Discussed during the bi-yearly meeting are the ACC website launch, digital campaign, research support for cruise lines, and preparation for the alliance’s participation in Seatrade Cruise Global 2019.

DOT’s participation in the ACC is in accordance with the national cruise strategy, which targets 656,635 cruise passengers from 300 ports of call by the end of 2022. Last year, the Philippines welcomed 140 ports of call for a total of 114,437 cruise passengers.

PRRD to visit Pag-asa Island within his term: Palace

By Jelly Musico

MANILA -- Malacañang said Friday President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to visit Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea within his term.

“Well, I think, time will really come that the President will visit the Pag-asa Island,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a video interview.

Roque said a visit of the President to the Pag-asa Island would serve as an evidence of sovereignty.

“If the President will not do it now, I think, before his term will be finished, he will go there, not only to show to the world our entitlement in Kalayaan but to visit our soldiers and our countrymen living there,” he said.

Pag-asa Island is part of the disputed Spratly Group of Islands, which is also being claimed by China through its nine-dash line map that covers nearly the whole of South China Sea.

In July 2016, the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled in favor of the Philippines’ arbitration case nullifying China’s nine-dash line map.

Duterte temporarily shelved the PCA’s decision to give way for friendly and peaceful dialogues but told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he would raise the issue again before his term ends in 2022.

In April last year, Duterte said he will visit Pag-asa Island but eventually scrapped his plan, including the planting of the national flag to preserve the revived and improving China-Philippines relations.

Pag-asa Island is the second largest natural island in the Spratlys where Palawan’s municipality of Kalayaan is located and is home to more than 300 people, including government troops.

Former president Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Decree in 1978 creating the municipality of Kalayaan.

At present, the Philippines exercises jurisdiction over two reefs and eight islets, including the 32.7-hectare Pag-asa, which has an old 1.4-km. airstrip, lying-in clinic, and an elementary school.

Aside from the Philippines and China, Vietnam and Malaysia have overlapping claims in the Spratly Archipelago. (PNA)

AirAsia 'working' to fly to new Palawan paradise

By Katrina Domingo (ABS-CBN News)

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga - AirAsia is waiting for the government to provide the adequate infrastructure so that it can fly to San Vicente, the latest Palawan municipality to catch tourists' attention.

San Vicente's nearly 15-kilometer white sand beachfront is one of the emerging beach destinations in the Philippines after Boracay Island was closed to tourists in late April.

As of last month, most tourists would have to take either a chartered flight or a 4- to 6-hour trip by land from Puerto Princesa City to reach San Vicente's famous Long Beach.

"We'd like to [fly to San Vicente, Palawan] but the runway is still short," AirAsia Philippines President Dexter Comendador told reporters here.

Comendador said they have been working with the provincial government of Palawan to develop the airport so that more tourists can enjoy the attractions of San Vicente.

"We've been working with them (government)... Our plans are still based on how fast infrastructure can cope, how fast they can lengthen the runway," he said.

The search for the next Boracay: San Vicente, Palawan

AirAsia, however, is careful not to open too many flights to an island destination that may lead to the exploitation of an area, the airline's chief Tony Fernandes said.

"The Borcacay closure was a great eye-opener for us. When we go to a new business destination, we make sure that the infrastructure can take a wave of tourists," he said.

The government earlier banned tourists from entering Boracay for 6 months as the island undergoes a half-year clean-up and rehabilitation.

The island is expected to open by late October, or as soon as the government completes its road widening projects, sewage clean-up, and the recovery of wetlands and forestlands in the island.

PAL mulling San Vicente, Palawan route

By Ma. Cristina Arayata (PNA)

MANILA -- Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is considering having a San Vicente, Palawan route, spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said on Friday.

San Vicente Airport (SVA) was inaugurated on Thursday, and was opened for commercial flights. Previously, the SVA only caters to light aircraft and Air Juan's chartered flights.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesperson Eric Apolonio earlier told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that commercial airlines are still applying to have flights to SVA.

"(SVA) is two hours away from the world-famous El Nido island. It (airport) is strategically positioned, making it an ideal gateway to the famous island," commented Villaluna.

PAL is now studying to open flights to and from SVA, she said, adding the airline will make the announcement once a decision is made.

Apolonio, in a previous interview with PNA, cited that San Vicente could be an alternative destination to Boracay, which has been temporarily closed for rehabilitation.

“San Vicente, Palawan has been named as the country’s Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone (TEZ). As a Flagship TEZ, San Vicente is envisioned to be one of the centers of tourism development in the Philippines, which will provide varied and integrated tourism and economic facilities and activities that will attract both domestic and foreign investments, therefore generating employment and other socio-economic developments,” he said.

Apolonio said the SVA would serve as the alternative destination's main gateway.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific spokesperson Charo Logarta Lagamon told PNA that the airline has no plans yet regarding the SVA route.

Chinese investors eye herbs and spices plantation in Palawan

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

SAN VICENTE, Palawan -- Chinese investors are keen on venturing into the farming of herbs and spices in southern Palawan provided the provincial government builds an international airport in the area.

Governor Jose Alvarez revealed this Thursday at a media conference in San Vicente following the inauguration in the town of a new PHP62.7 million airport with Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

“In southern Palawan, there’s an area that is three to four hours drive, where Chinese investors are proposing to farm spices that are used in adobo or humba, like laurel,” he said. But he did not name the town where the international airport might be constructed.

Chinese cuisine is popular for using various herbs and spices such as star anise, cassia or cinnamon, cloves, laurel, and sesame seed among others, to vary food flavors.

Alvarez said this is why the provincial government is also looking at the possibility of constructing an international airport in the southern area.

Meanwhile, Tugade expressed support for the development of the regional air transportation in southern Palawan, saying they are also assessing other sites in Palawan where other airports could also be built for connectivity and interoperability.

“Yes, we will support the thrust of this (Palawan’s) government,” said Tugade, as the thrust of the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte is to bring infrastructure development to provinces where it is needed.

In recent months, a number of Chinese investors have expressed interest in venturing in aquaculture in Palawan, particularly in the rearing of high-value export commodity fish.

The proposed sites are located in barangays Sta. Lucia and Binduyan in Puerto Princesa, the towns of Coron and San Vicente in northern Palawan, and Narra and Quezon in the south.

Protected Lake Manguao in northern Palawan to undergo rehabilitation

(PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- The provincial government will undertake a reforestation project in Lake Manguao in northern Palawan to bring back its forest ecosystem.

Located in the municipality of Taytay, the lake is one of the key biodiversity areas in the northern part of the province, and a major stronghold for seven species of threatened birds.

Forester Rodel Cabintoy, the project supervisor of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), said Thursday that the lake needs to get back its forest cover after suffering from charcoal-making and slash-and-burn (kaingin) farming.

“Manguao has a beautiful potential for agricultural-tourism (in Taytay). It’s a freshwater lake that has around 4,425 hectares of catchment area that has water in 640 hectares,” he said.

The project’s first phase, he said, will start this year and targets 200 hectares of land to reforest that covers barangays Poblacion, Bato, and Bantulan, Taytay town. The second phase with the same coverage will start next year.

The fund that will be used for the reforestation initiative will be PHP6.4 million, which the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) will provide for the first phase through its Corporate Social Responsibilities.

Cabintoy said the provincial government will have a counterpart share of PHP4 million for the protected area’s rehabilitation.

“It’s said literature and other studies made about the lake that it is home to several species of birds, endemic and local. Within the lake, there are also endemic freshwater fishes,” he added.

On the first year, the project team will attempt to plant around 334,000 seedlings of fast-growing trees like mahogany and teak wood that are endemic to the place.

“Governor (Jose) Alvarez is for us to integrate fast-growing trees to speed up the regeneration of the forest in the area,” he said.

Cabintoy assured that the OPA will provide alternative livelihood to 65 households in the lake that will be affected by the rehabilitation project, such as vegetable production, livestock raising, direct labor for the nursery, and others.

In a wetland study of the lake conducted in 2014 by Benjamin Gonzales and Joie Matillano commissioned by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), it was found out that the lake had a forest cover estimated between 50-60 percent in 1990 and about 60 percent in 2004.

It said the lake recorded the presence of three species of freshwater turtles: the critically endangered Philippine forest turtle (Siebenrockiella Leytensis), the Malayan box turtle (Cuora amboinensis), and the Asian leaf turtle Cyclemys Dentate).

The birds of Lake Manguao are the second most studied vertebrate group in the lake. Researchers recorded 135 bird species from 47 families. This represents 48 percent of the total bird species recorded thus far in Palawan. Of these 4, 14 were Palawan-endemic while seven were widely distributed Philippine endemics, according to the study.

Also helping in the initiative is the PCSD, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources, Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Taytay, Municipal Local Government of Taytay and some people’s organizations in the town.

Busuanga airport to move to Yulo King Ranch in Coron

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

SAN VICENTE, Palawan -- The Francisco B. Reyes (FBR) Airport on Busuanga Island will soon move to a new location on a 300-hectare land at the Yulo King Ranch in Coron town, Palawan province to accommodate larger aircraft and become an international airport hub with extended facilities.

Palawan 1st District Rep. Franz “Chicoy” Alvarez said Thursday that an initial funding of PHP1 billion from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) had already been transferred and downloaded to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) so that bidding can start for the relocation and construction of a bigger airport.

He said he had already held a joint meeting with the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Animal Industry, CAAP, DOTr, and other line agencies.

“There is a need to totally re-orient the airport in Busuanga because it can no longer be extended to accommodate larger planes as the surrounding areas are mountainous,” Alvarez said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) during the inauguration of the new San Vicente Airport.

He said he sees no problem in transferring the airport to the Yulo King Ranch (YKR) since talks and eventual agreements would be government-to-government.

Governor Jose Alvarez will be helping CAAP in dealing with the settlers, who had illegally taken up residence in the proposed area, he added.

“There’s a lot of illegal settlers, but our governor has committed his help in talking to them to vacate the area for the proposed site,” he said.

Rep. Alvarez said the CAAP has already surveyed the proposed site at the YKR in December last year and the latest news his office received last week was that a pre-bidding conference might happen before June.

He expressed hope that the relocation of the Busuanga airport would happen this year since it has been long overdue, since the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III.

“In two weeks, I was told that the pre-bidding conference will open. Another two more weeks and the detailed engineering design will already be offered for bidding,” Alvarez said.

The FBR is classified as a Class 2 principal or minor airport by the CAAP serving the general area of Coron and sharing with the neighboring municipalities of Busuanga and Culion.

It was named after Francisco B. Reyes, the mayor of Coron who served from 1936 to 1939, and who donated the land that forms the current airport complex.

Once completed, he said the airport can also receive foreign tourists who can fly directly from Hong Kong, Korea, and China.

“They can fly directly to Coron and no longer pass through Manila and that would save them precious time, especially if their holiday schedules are short. Traffic congestion in the international airports will be lessened too if they fly directly to Coron,” he said.

Mindanao, Palawan travelers can visit BIMP-EAGA without travel tax in next 5 years

By Genalyn Kabiling

For the next five years, travelers from Mindanao and Palawan can visit the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) without paying any travel tax.

In Memorandum Order No. 23 signed last May 8, President Duterte has renewed the travel tax exemption policy to certain air and sea travelers to the sub-regional growth area in Southeast Asia.

The travel tax exemption was issued “for reasons of national interest and in order to sustain and accelerate economic development in Mindanao and Palawan.”

“The Travel Tax exemption shall be granted for a period of five years from the effective of this Order,” the memorandum read. “A Travel Tax Exemption Certificate may be secured from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority,” it added.

The same memo also directed the National Economic and Development Authority to conduct an impact study on the renewal of the travel tax exemption and submit an annual report to the Office of the President. Such report will serve as basis whether the exemption shall be continued or revoked.

Last December, the House of Representatives filed a resolution seeking the renewal of the exemption from travel tax payment for all travelers from all international airports and seaports in Mindanao and Palawan to any destination in the BIMP-EAGA.

The BIMP-EAGA, launched in 1994, covers the entire Brunei Darussalam; the provinces in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua in Indonesia; Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan in Malaysia; and Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines. The subregion initiative aims to enhance the development trade, investments, tourism, among others, and stimulate growth.

New San Vicente Airport to fuel Northern Palawan tourism growth

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

SAN VICENTE, Palawan -- The inauguration of the new PHP62.7 million regional airport in the rising tourism hub of San Vicente town on Thursday is expected to further boost development not only in the area but also other parts of northern Palawan.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said in order for the tourism industry to grow in any place like the municipality of San Vicente, “connectivity and interoperability” must be placed.

“President Rodrigo Duterte is committed to ensuring tourism growth in the Philippines. In less than two years, we opened the international airport in Puerto Princesa and we opened San Vicente – we are also assessing other areas for the possibility of constructing additional airports,” he said in a media conference following the inauguration.

He added that the support the DOTr received from the provincial government, the municipal government, and other stakeholders were key to the fast-moving completion of the San Vicente Airport (SVA).

“Working together to open this airport is going to be the key to further develop the economy here in San Vicente and other areas in northern Palawan,” Tugade added.

Located west of the former Inandeng Airstrip, the SVA serves the country’s first “Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone” along a 14-kilometer long beach facing the Imuruan Bay of the South China Sea.

In June 2017, it had its soft opening to cater to smaller and private planes or those with wingspans between 15 meters and 24 meters like Air Juan’s.

However, in June this year, San Vicente municipal administrator James Paul Inawasan said flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will already start flying in a propeller aircraft that can bring 80 passengers.

“What was mentioned to us by PAL last March while they were here to conduct a risk assessment and final inspection, their timeline is May to June. They will start their operations in San Vicente,” he said.

Cebu Pacific will also conduct a test flight as it is eyeing San Vicente as its next destination, he added.

In 2017, tourist arrival of 26,000 was recorded by their municipal tourism office, he said. However, this year during the first quarter only, San Vicente has already recorded an arrival of 13,000.

“Our forecast, after we had our tourism readiness workshop last month because of Boracay and El Nido crackdowns, is that this year, scenario one would be that we’ll have 41,000 tourist arrivals, scenario two 76,000 arrivals, and scenario three would be 100,000 visitors,” Inawasan said.

He added that these were the result of assessing the volumes of airlines that come in and their passengers, percentage of stay in the province, and the ratio of tourist arrivals that fly in through Puerto Princesa but go to San Vicente.

In previous years, he said the town’s tourism market share was consistently two percent, but in 2018, it has started to build up, especially with the SVA that is ready to accept commercial flights in the following months.

The airport features a passenger terminal that can accommodate 100 passengers at any given time, a fire station building, and an elevated 2,500-US-gallon (9,500 L) water tank facility.

Its concrete runway measures 1,612 meters (5,288 feet) long and 45 meters (148 feet) wide. The runway orientation is 04/22.

On the other hand, Governor Jose Alvarez, said the SVA is not only the infrastructure project that would fuel tourism development in northern Palawan, but also the 600-kilometer six-lane highway that would connect to the southern area.

“We are also doing the six-lane highway designed for 120 kilometers per hour speed, and we are proposing one more international airport in Taytay to service it, El Nido, Linapacan, Dumaran and Araceli towns,” he said.

Governor Alvarez said the proposed airport is longer than the SVA that will cater to trips of Airbus 8330s that can carry over 290 passengers each from Europe directly to Palawan.

He said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has initially evaluated and approved the site in Taytay for the proposed Abongan-Taytay International Airport.

“Tourists do not like to travel where they need to get down an aircraft, and then board another to travel. What they like is 10-20 minutes or a maximum of half an hour they are already in the beaches or resorts relaxing,” he said.

He said the proposed airport will ensure the radical transformation of the spatial economy of the region as it sets out a roadmap to better the lives of the locals and to help Palawan as a future hub of investment and tourism.

DSWD completes validation of poor households in Palawan

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has completed the field validation of 38,103 Listahanan-identified poor households in Palawan for their Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT).

Listahanan regional coordinator Ernie Jarabejo said in an interview Tuesday that the number of those validated in Palawan is part of the 92,205 households from a total of 93,436 they have validated and verified region-wide.

The remaining 1,231 are non-validated households that cannot be located and those that have transferred residences to other regions.

“In the number of non-validated households are those who cannot be located, transferred to other provinces or regions, vacant, and in some cases no available qualified respondents,” Jarabejo said.

The validation, which was started in the second week of March, was completed in the last week of April was completed with also the following provinces in Mimaropa: Oriental Mindoro, 17,594; Occidental Mindoro, 6,319; Marinduque, 7,777, and Romblon.

The agency has hired 392 validators in the region who have administered house-to-house interviews in 45 days.

“According to validation guidelines, to qualify as respondents they should be at least 15 years old above, members of the household to be validated, and able to verify the accuracy of the household information or profile,” he said.

Jarabejo said the validators exhausted all possible means to locate and verify the missing households so they would not be left behind before the barangays issue certifications attesting cases of those who cannot be located or transferred.

The UCT validation is a mechanism to identify possible and qualified recipients of cash grants as a government’s mitigating measure on the effect of the new Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

“The said validation aims to assess possible recipients of social welfare cash assistance to poor families who are heavily affected by the increasing prices of basic commodities due to the TRAIN law. Priority targets are non-Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino and Social Pension Program households,” added Jarabejo.

Bustamante rules Petron karting Rd. 2, 3 in Palawan

(Manila Bulletin)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – Racing prodigy Bianca Bustamante put on a fascinating display of skill and tenacity for a karter so young to upend her veteran rivals and rule Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2018 Petron Super Karting Series at the Palawan International Circuit here over the weekend.

Not since Filipino-Swiss formula racer Michelle Bumgarner a decade ago has a female karter thoroughly stamped her class on the male-dominated field as the 13-year-old Bustamante of Formula E Racing Team topped both legs of the ROK GP Overall Race over the favored John Dizon.

The seventh grader from Assumption College, an entry in the Junior ROK category of the combined race, bested Dizon by 10.804 seconds with a time of 19 minutes and 52.604 seconds in 19 laps over the exacting 1.2-kilometer circuit in Round 2 last Saturday. She came back the next day to repeat over Dizon by a mere 0.090 of a second in 19:56.229 in Round 3.

Dizon, the 16-year-old phenom from Imus, Cavite, settled for both rounds’ Senior ROK title over Anthony Baisa (Round 2) and Arvin Drueco (Round 3). Baisa and then Drueco placed third overall in the back-to-back legs of the series sponsored by Petron Blaze 100 Euro 6, XCS, Xtra, Ultron and Rev-X.

Niel Tupaz Jr. clinched the Veteran ROK crown in borh rounds while Baisa and Drueco topped Legs 2 and 3 of the Master ROK class, respectively.

Probe on illegal logging in Palawan’s Victoria Peak sought

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- A municipal councilor in a southern Palawan town is requesting the local government to investigate alleged illegal logging activities threatening Victoria's Peak, the second highest mountain in the province.

Councilor Ryan Maminta of the municipal council of Narra said Monday that information and photos of the illegally harvested timber hidden, in an inconspicuous area in the mountain, were passed on to them by hikers.

"If you will look at the photos, it will show the cut trees. They cut them there into lumber and flitches without proper permits,” Maminta said in a privilege speech delivered during the council’s session.

Maminta said the logs that were seen were Narra trees whose cutting is prohibited under the law. He said if not stopped, Victoria's Peak or Mt. Victoria, might suffer from more abuse due to illegal logging.

"We do not know who is responsible for these illegal logging activities, and we also do not know if they have permits. But what would happen to Mt. Victoria?” he said.

Maminta said the majority of the watersheds in the town, including those in Barangays Dumangueña, Malatgao, Estrella, Malinao and Princess Urduja, get their water supply from Victoria Peaks.

Palawan's San Vicente Airport to open commercial flights

By Ma. Cristina Arayata (PNA)

MANILA -- The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will inaugurate San Vicente Airport (SVA) in Palawan on May 10, and will open this for commercial flights, spokesperson Eric Apolonio told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday.

CAAP said the PHP62.7 SVA development project's construction began in 2009, with a goal of providing more flights and routes for passengers traveling to and from Palawan.

SVA was officially opened to light aircraft on June 22, 2017, and to Air Juan's chartered flights in August 2017.

"Last year, SVA was opened to general aviation and charter flights from Air Juan, connecting Puerto Princesa City, San Vicente, Coron–Busuanga, and Caticlan," Apolonio said.

As of Monday, May 7, commercial airlines were still applying to have flights to SVA, Apolonio said.

He noted that one of the edges of SVA is its strategic location.

"San Vicente, Palawan has been named as the country’s Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone (TEZ). As a Flagship TEZ, San Vicente is envisioned to be one of the centers of tourism development in the Philippines, which will provide varied and integrated tourism and economic facilities and activities that will attract both domestic and foreign investments, therefore generating employment and other socio-economic developments," he explained.

He added that since San Vicente is in Palawan, "it is also blessed with pristine beaches and is home to the longest white sand beach in the Philippines, comparable to the country’s premier white sand beach destination, Boracay".

Apolonio said that with Boracay’s temporary closure, San Vicente can be an alternative destination to Boracay.

"SVA will serve as this new destination’s main gateway while also catering to the air transport needs of our country’s first TEZ," he said.

CAAP Director General Capt. Jim Sydiongco is said to attend the inauguration.

Ensuring a strong link for migratory bird sites

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

The last of the white heron has left a small rice farm along Aguinaldo Highway in Dasmariñas City.

No matter how small, the rice field serves as a staging and feeding ground for a handful of white herons during migration season and they have added attraction to the very few remaining green spaces on that portion of the major thoroughfare in the bustling city in Cavite.

The farm is grazing ground of a few cows, and about 20 or 30 domestic ducks are being raised in the farm. Also called the great white egret, or locally called tagak, these highly migratory waterfowls are among the thousands of migratory birds that pick the Philippines as their staging ground.

Decades ago, the tagak are being hunted for their meat, or are being sold as exotic pets.

Not anymore. Since the mid-1990s, the Philippines, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), had intensified the campaign against hunting or killing birds in the country.

These bird sites are being closely monitored by the DENR, for early detection and prevention of the spread of the dreaded bird-flu virus, which has of late affected the Philippines’s poultry industry.

The DENR is now promoting tourism-related activities to educate the people on the importance of these migratory birds and their habitats, especially wetlands, where they stay to feed and roost during migration to avoid the cold winter season.

Being part of the East Asian-Australian Flyway, the Philippines plays host to tens of thousands of migrating birds. The annual migration of birds starts in September and ends in April.

In the Philippines, if one sees a few of these birds during this time of the year, the reason is they might have been left out by the flock.

Ramsar Convention

Not to worry, though, because if they are protected, they become resident-migrants of a particular bird site.

Environment Undersecretary Jonas R. Leones, the spokesman of Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, said the Philippines values its various international commitment, such as in the Ramsar Convention, to ensure a strong link that will protect migratory birds and all the important staging ground and wintering areas.

“The Ramsar Convention protects swamps and migratory areas. We have to do that [value international commitment] because migration is a very important cycle. The point of Ramsar is to protect the migratory sites,” he said.

He added that the Philippines does not want to be the weak link of migratory bird sites.

“Not only that, these sites are important for food security, for biodiversity and for protection against natural calamities,” Leones, the DENR’s undersecretary for policy, planning, international affairs and foreign-assisted projects, told the BusinessMirror in an interview on April 30.

Besides the benefits of having a healthy environment and ecosystem for the conservation of threatened species, keeping its commitment under treaties like the Ramsar Convention, he said, makes the Philippines qualified for access to international funding support or aid.

“Since we need to protect these sites, if we are a signatory of the convention, we can also avail ourselves of funding in case it becomes available,” he said.

Like in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Leones said, its ratification of the Paris Agreement now allows the Philippines access to the multibillion-dollar green climate fund, which can boost the country’s efforts to combat climate change.

The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, its web site said.

It got its name from the Iranian city of Ramsar, where the treaty was adopted in 1971. It came into force in 1975. There are currently 169 contracting parties to the treaty, 2,303 Ramsar sites and 228,921,972 hectares of total surface of designated sites. The convention entered into force in the Philippines on November 8, 1994.

The Philippines currently has seven designated Ramsar Sites or Wetlands of International Importance, with a combined surface area of 244,017 hectares.

Besides being a party to the Ramsar Convention, the Philippines is also a signatory to the Bonn Convention, or the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

Environmental laws

Various environmental laws that protect endangered wildlife, including migratory birds, are available in the country. This includes the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act, which designates protected areas, setting them aside for conservation.

There is also the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, which prohibits illegal wildlife trade, including poaching or hunting, or harvesting wildlife resources. The law designates certain areas, particularly those considered as key biodiversity areas, as critical habitats for the protection of these amazing flyers.

592 bird species

According to Bird Life International, 592 species of birds can be found in the Philippines. Of these, 456 species are landbirds and 20 are migratory.

The Philippines also has a total of 258 breeding endemic birds, 28 seabirds and 124 waterbirds

A total of 92 bird species that can be found in the Philippines are globally threatened, 15 are critically endangered, 54 vulnerable, 78 near threatened and 416 fall under the conservation status “least concern.”

There are also 10 endemic bird areas in the Philippines. These are in Batanes and Babuyan Islands, Luzon, Mindoro, Tablas and Sibuyan Islands in Romblon, Cebu, Eastern Visayas, Negros and Panay, Palawan, Siquijor, Sulu archipelago and Mindanao.

A list of Ramsar Sites in the Philippines identifies the various threats that the government needs to address.

Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary

The Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Agusan del Sur in Mindanao, with a total of 14,836 hectares, is described as “a vast complex of freshwater marshes and watercourses with numerous shallow lakes and ponds in the upper basin of the Agusan River and its tributaries, which rise in the hills of eastern Mindanao.

“Some parts of the marsh have been converted into fishponds and rice paddies. The site acts as storage for rainwater and reduces the downstream flow of floodwater into Butuan City and other population centers,” the Ramsar Site information furnished by the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) to the BusinessMirror revealed.

It said the marsh supports the largest expanses left in the Philippines of seven habitat types, and includes a very large area of swamp forest and a peat swamp forest not found anywhere else in the country.

“High silt loads caused by deforestation and other activities in the catchment are a continuing problem,” the document added.

According to the document, the marsh is sparsely populated because of seasonal flooding.

Among the threats to the marsh include the trapping of crocodiles for sale to commercial farms, which is a source of living to some people in the area.

Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area

The Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, a coastal wetland in Manila Bay within Metropolitan Manila, is comprised of two interconnected, mangrove-covered islands, shallow lagoons and coastline.

It was designated as a critical habitat in 2007, through a presidential proclamation, to ensure the survival of threatened, restricted-range and congregatory species. At least 5,000 individuals of migratory and resident birds have been recorded at the site, including about 47 migratory species, such as the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes).

The most important of the resident bird species found in the ecotourism area is the vulnerable Philippine duck (Anas luzonica), which breeds at the site and is endemic to the country.

According to the DENR-BMB, from 2007 to 2011, the site supports at least one person of the estimated population of black-winged stilts (Himantopus himantopus) using the East Asian-Australasian flyway.

The site faces threats from near densely populated areas, particularly from garbage.

Other threats include ongoing land reclamation and mangrove cutting.

Naujan Lake National Park Site

In Oriental Mindoro the Naujan Lake National Park Site, with a total area of 14,568 hectares, is the fifth-largest lake in the Philippines. The volcanic lake receives water from local runoff with no major effluents.

The lake has 14 species of fish, five of them migratory, and is an important feeding or wintering area for large numbers of ducks and other waterbirds, such as herons, egrets, rails and bitterns.

Other species found in the lake are the rare plain swamp hen (Amaurornis olivaceous) and the endemic species of freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis).

Most of the people in the area depend upon the lake for their livelihood through fishing.

The Mangyan, indigenous peoples of Mindoro, including the Tadyawan tribe, and the damuong or non-Mangyan, are among the beneficiaries of the lake’s bounty.

Fishing is the principal occupation and source of income, but the lake also provides water for drinking, laundry, bathing and irrigation.

Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area

The Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area (NOCWCA) lies along 110 kilometers of coastline of the island of Negros.

It covers 52 coastal barangays and seven municipalities, namely, Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, Pontevedra, Hinigaran, Binalbagan and Ilog.

The wetland hosts three globally threatened marine turtles, the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the vulnerable olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).

The area is also known to host the vulnerable Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris).

In 2014 72 waterbird species were recorded in the conservation area, including the globally endangered great knot (Calidris tenuirostris), far eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) and spotted greenshank (Tringa guttifer).

There are three other vulnerable species: the Philippine duck, Chinese egret and Java sparrow (Lonchura oryzivora).

It is also known for its rich and diverse coastal resources, particularly mangroves and shellfish, including economically important species, such as oysters, green mussels (Perna viridis), nylon shell (Paphia undulata), angel wing shell (Pholas orientalis), shrimps and crabs.

The site faces potential threats—including the conversion of mangrove forests and other wetlands to commercial or residential uses or for aquaculture, and also pollution by industrial waste and coliform contamination.

Overfishing in some areas also threatens the biodiversity and the sustainability of local livelihoods.

Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary

The Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu province is a low-lying island surrounded by extensive intertidal sandflats, mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs and islets.

It is one of the most important areas in the country for significant numbers of migratory waterbirds and provides a habitat for staging, wintering, roosting and feeding birds.

“Over 10,000 shorebirds have been recorded at one time [in the area], with the total number approaching 50,000. [It is] the most important site in the Philippines for the rare waterbird species, Asiatic dowitcher,” the Ramsar document said.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

In Palawan the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a National Geological Site, Asean Heritage Park, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site.

The site is unique in the biogeographic region because it connects a range of important ecosystems from the mountain-to-the-sea, including a limestone karst landscape with a complex cave system, mangrove forests, lowland evergreen tropical rain forests and freshwater swamps.

Also known as home to the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the park is home to about 800 plant and 233 animal species, including the critically endangered Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia) and hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate), as well as the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and Nordmanns greenshank (Tringa guttifer).

There are also some 15 endemic species of birds, such as the Palawan peacock pheasant (Polyplectron emphanum) and the Tabon scrub fowl (Megapodius freycinet cumingii).

One of the unique features of the park is the 8.2-kilometer-long section of the Cabayugan River that flows underground within large formations of stalactites and stalagmites. The river, which provides water to local communities for domestic and agricultural uses, is now a major ecotourism destination.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Site

Also in Palawan province, the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Site is a National Marine Park and World Heritage Site in the center of the Sulu Sea.

“This wetland is an example of an ecosystem with near-pristine coral reefs having high diversity with at least 359 species of corals [equivalent to about 80 percent of all coral species in the Philippines], 600 species of fish, seven species of seagrass, 13 species of sharks and two species of marine turtles,” according to the Ramsar Site information.

The biogeographic region has one of the highest coral diversity in the world, harboring threatened species like the vulnerable staghorn coral (Acropora abrolhosensis) and dana staghorn coral (Acropora aculeus), and serves as an important source and sink not only for coral larvae but also for fish and other marine species.

The site harbors the highest number of white-tip sharks and supports threatened fish, such as the endangered humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) and the vulnerable giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus).

Islets provide the only known breeding area for the endemic subspecies of black noddy (Anous minutus worcestri) in the Philippines.

The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park acts as breeding and feeding grounds for threatened species, such as the critically endangered Christmas Island frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi) and the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

Threats to the site include plans for oil exploration in the Sulu Sea, illegal harvesting of topshell and the introduction of invasive plant species.

The Philippines is one of the mega-diverse countries in the world, but is also one of the biodiversity hot spots because of the rapid rate of biodiversity loss, mainly because of habitat loss brought about by destructive development projects, massive land conversion for agriculture or human settlement, illegal wildlife trade, and the hunting and poaching for food and trophy.

DA wants more farmers’ coops in Palawan’s remote areas

(PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Farmers in the upland and interior villages of Palawan province should form themselves into associations or cooperatives to gain access to government loan and credit services.

Department of Agriculture 4B (Mimaropa) Director Antonio Gerundio said in an interview Friday that organizing themselves would make it easier for farmers to deal with traders and buyers of their farm produce.

“We have a lot of programs for our farmers that do not reach them simply because they have not formed themselves into cooperatives, especially those living in distantly-located barangays,” he said.

Gerundio said government support for farmers is designed to help them become productive through formal associations and cooperatives.

Forming coops can help reduce the cost of acquiring inputs or availing of services, such as storage and transport, and also enables farmers to improve product and service quality and reduce risks, he said.

“Government assistance is coursed through farmers’ coops. If they are not organized, government services will have a hard time reaching them individually,” Gerundio said.

He observed that in far-flung villages, many farmers are forced to sell their products at very low prices, particularly perishable crops, such as fruits and vegetables.

“Mabuti kung hindi highly perishable ang products, tulad ng kasoy. Pero ang mga gulay ay mga perishable yan. Kailangan talaga na mag-organisa sila (It’s okay if their produce are not highly perishable, like cashew nuts. But vegetables, they’re perishable. They have to organize),” Gerundio said.

He added that an organized group is in a better position to deal with traders, business partners, and institutions.

Gerundio said that some of the organized farmer groups in Palawan are supplying vegetables and rice to high-end hotels and resorts in El Nido town.

The agriculture department, he said, can easily provide any intervention to farmers’ associations or cooperatives. He said that aside from the inputs, fertilizers, provision of mechanized farm equipment and implements, and technical assistance, the department is focusing on the provision of credit facility and loan to farmers, such as the Production Loan Easy Access, which is administered by the Agricultural Credit Policy Council.

38 Palawan establishments given 90 days to demolish illegal structures

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Some 38 business establishments in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) have been given three months to voluntarily remove their structures within the prescribed coastal easement zone and road right-of-way.

Underground River park superintendent Elizabeth Maclang said in a phone interview Thursday that the deadline for the business owners to self-demolish was imposed by the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) in an April 27 meeting.

The businesses that will be affected by the move to clean up structures obstructing the 30-meter coastal easement area and zoning setback include a wellness spa, a shuttle van terminal, and beach restaurants and bars, among others.

“They were given 90 days to self-demolish their structures along the Sabang beach by the PAMB upon receipt of the notices of violations that we will start sending out on Monday next week,” she said.

On the other hand, the relocation of the 88 families that are illegally occupying a significant portion of the timberland-classified area of Campsite, Purok Dalampasigan 2, Sitio Sabang, will have to wait until a suitable site has been found by the city government.

At least two sites have been proposed to the PAMB as possible relocation, but Maclang said they need to be further evaluated to determine their land classification.

“Their case is special since they were relocated to the Campsite from where the wharf is now located some time ago. The evaluation would let us know the road right-of-way needed to be established in their community, the setback, and others that are important in their transfer,” she said.

PAMB member and Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) executive director, lawyer Grizelda Mayo-Anda, said the deadline was set after they took note of the report of their Project Development Evaluation Committee (PDEC) that did an easement and a setback survey in March.

She said the result of the assessment located temporary structures that will be hit by the PAMB clean-up drive to prevent the underground river park from being like Boracay.

“In general, there are some establishments that are still questioning our decision because of another 10-meter setback pursuant to the zoning ordinance. But what’s good about this is that they were given a maximum of three months to undertake the self-demolition upon notice,” Anda said.

Anda said they explained to the owners that the law has reasons to remove them out of the easement zone.

“I explained to them the legalities and the environmental considerations, and they’re amenable. We are happy in ELAC that the park superintendent (Maclang) is taking the lead in ensuring that we don’t suffer the same fate as Boracay,” Anda added.

Meanwhile, no deadline has been identified by the PAMB for the squatters at the Campsite as their occupation of the timberland is a “special story”.

The park staff will have to ensure that the families follow strict rules on the disposal of their domestic waste to avoid the destruction of the beach in front of their households.

Cops uncover ‘paltik’ factory in southern Palawan town

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Policemen in the southern town of Narra on Tuesday arrested a farmer for illegally manufacturing “paltik” guns.

Senior Superintendent Gabriel Lopez, director of the Palawan Provincial Police Office (PPO), on Wednesday said their personnel in Narra apprehended a certain Elpedio Cachero, 45, of Barangay Malinao after serving a search warrant and discovered illegal operation of a makeshift “paltik”-manufacturing shop.

“There was a search warrant for firearms issued by the court against him. When our police personnel served it to his house, they discovered his workplace for the paltik, and good thing he surrendered without incident,” he said.

Paltik is a homemade gun produced out of scrap metals and angle irons readily available in hardware stores.

The municipal police team headed by Chief Inspector Jeffrey Abonales confiscated three pieces of wood rifle bolts with trigger housings, a .22 caliber rifle already with trigger, two pieces improvised .22 caliber rifles, a .45 handgun, an unserviceable .38 revolver, 275 rounds of 5.56 live ammunition, 21 pieces of short metal magazines of 5.56 ammunition, and other paraphernalia that had allegedly been used for homemade gun fabrication.

The search warrant was issued by Palawan Regional Trial Court (RTC) Acting Executive Judge Jocelyn Sundiang Dilig against Cachero for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the “Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act”, said Lopez.

Lopez said with the quantity of the confiscation, they are now investigating if the “paltik” guns are going to be used in the barangay and youth polls on May 14.

“We are still investigating, particularly because it’s election season and there is a gun ban. Their investigation will include looking into the background of Cachero to determine if he is linked to any of the privately armed groups or PAGs in the province.

Since the launching of the gun ban for the synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) election, they have already confiscated an estimated 21 firearms that are unlicensed and with expired registrations, he added. It can be noted that on April 25, Palawan PNP’s door-to-door “Oplan Katok” already confiscated three loose and 13 voluntarily surrendered firearms in the province.

They do not include the homemade guns surrendered by Cachero as inventory is still being completed and most have not been completely assembled.

The additional five confiscated firearms were from El Nido town also on May 1 under Oplan Paglalansag Omega and Oplan Salikop in relation to the barangay and youth elections, he said.

AFP, PNP call for peaceful polls in Palawan

By Celeste Anna Formoso (PNA)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Military and police authorities here warned Tuesday they will not hesitate to carry out the full force of the law against any candidate in the May 14 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls who will commit an election offense.

Lt. Gen. Rozzano Briguez, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Western Command (Wescom) in Palawan, issued the cautionary advice in front of over 700 barangay and SK aspirants following the conduct of a police-led unity walk and peace covenant signing in the city.

“We will not let you off if you violate the law. I’m sorry, but we will not let you off,” he warned.

Quoting a gathered data, he said the presence of election-related violence in Palawan “is a known fact,” particularly after the supporter of a mayoralty candidate in Brooke’s Point municipality was gunned down in an encounter in 2010.

Briguez added that in 2016, the human rights commission even identified the town of Quezon in Palawan as election “hot spot” due to politically-motivated violence in the area.

“A recent study of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance revealed that Palawan is included in the 15 provinces with the highest number of private armed groups (PAGS), having at least 14 active groups being utilized by politicians,” he said.

The data are important because if barangay and SK aspirants will not veer away from the view, more casualties will turn out as killings will continue, he said.

Chief Supt. Emmanuel Luis Licop, the regional director of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Mimaropa Region, said the unity walk and the covenant signing for peace was done as a “mind-setting” for the candidates and the people to exercise their right to vote by adhering to a peaceful, clean, orderly, and honest election.

“What they are saying is that local elections like the barangay and SK polls are usually heated because of some highly-positioned politicians who make their influences felt. We want to prove to the public that this is not the case,” he said.

Licop, who has been going around Mimaropa to forge harmony marches and peace pledges among the May 14 election aspirants, said the PNP and the AFP are deputized agencies of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that will not hesitate to implement poll laws.

“As of now, region-wide, we are monitoring some areas, but fortunately for Palawan, we have no election watchlist of areas. Violence sometimes happens all of a sudden, or spur of the moment, so the PNP will be there to strictly monitor,” he stated.

Choke points and checkpoints had already been established, he added, to oversee “Oplan Katok” to ensure that the election gun ban is not violated.

Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Casem, commander of the 3rd Marine Brigade (3MBDE), said this will be supported in the city by the presence of the newly-established Joint Task Group Puerto Princesa (JTGPP), and in Palawan by three others that are operating under the Wescom’s Joint Task Force Peacock (JTFP).

“In Puerto Princesa, we organized the JTGPP composed of different military units and the city government to have a dedicated AFP group to maintain peace and order here in very close cooperation with the PNP,” he said.

Meanwhile, City Comelec head Ferdinand Bermejo encouraged the aspirants to do their share in the holding of a violence-free and honest election on May 14.

“Win or lose, you should be responsible for taking care of the removal of your own campaign materials. Campaign by presenting your platforms and not by throwing dirt at each other,” he said.

The unity walk means to encourage amicability and understanding for an orderly conduct of the barangay and SK polls, saying “politics is an art of public service” that should not be abused by mudslinging, slander, and defamation against rival candidates.

The aspirants who joined the unity walk and peace covenant signing represented Puerto Princesa’s 66 barangays.

Connie Reynoso, who is running for councilor of Barangay Princesa after reaching the limit of her term as its chairman, said she attended as she is also an advocate of a clean and peaceful election.

“I’ve been attending activities like this ever since because I believe that its aim is what we all need. This is an exercise we have to undergo in our desire to serve our communities, and if it is marred by violence and commission of election offense, then that does not show the desire to honestly serve the people,” she said.

Also present during the event were City Police Office Director Senior Supt. Ronnie Cariaga, Palawan Provincial Police Office Director Senior Supt. Gabriel Lopez, and 2nd Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group chief Senior Supt. Greg Togonon.

Labor officer commended for rescuing OFW

(DOLE PR)

MANILA -- A labor officer of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has received a commendation from the Palawan provincial government and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for rescuing a distressed overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from her abusive employer.

Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez commended Jonathan Gerodias, senior labor and employment officer at the POEA’s provincial office, for coordinating the operation to rescue OFW Jackilyn Berba in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Alvarez made the commendation in a letter to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

“The Provincial Government of Palawan received Berba’s request to go back home last Dec. 19, 2017, for which we contacted Gerodias, who immediately spearheaded the rescue of Berba by coordinating with offices, such as Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA),” Alvarez said in a news release issued on Tuesday.

The governor acknowledged Gerodias’ efforts that led to Berba’s safe travel back to the Philippines within one week.

“He is indeed capable of handling difficult cases that require complex skills,” added Alvarez.

Berba was prevented from leaving the Arab country by her abusive employer at Forever Manpower Services, Inc. in Riyadh, the report said.

Meanwhile, Bello also commended Gerodias for his performance of duty and dedication to rescue Berba from the hands of her employer.

“Your quick action by coordinating with the OWWA has earned the admiration and respect of the governor in you and as a consequence, of the entire DOLE. It demonstrates that we do not pay lip service to our mandate to protect and attend, at all times, to the welfare of our OFWs,” Bello said in his letter to Gerodias.

The labor chief likewise urged Gerodias and his colleagues to continue bringing DOLE’s services closer to the people, particularly to OFWs who are in need, and be role models to his fellow workers.

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