Bicol’s disaster plans and strategies vie for Gawad Kalasag 2011

by Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, June 22 (PIA) -- Local governments, other government agencies and private entities in the Bicol region vie anew for this year’s highly competitive selection in disaster risk reduction program implementation, the Gawad Kalasag 2011.

Gawad “Kalasag”, which stands for “KAlamidad at Sakuna LAban, SAriling Galing ang Kaligtasan” is a recognition program of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) for excellence in disaster risk management and humanitarian assistance.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Bicol director Raffy Alejandro, also head of the Bicol Regional DRRMC, said the agency has since been coordinating with all prospective government and private organizations across the region to submit their respective entries to the awards program stressing confidence that awardees last year will make it anew to the national limelight of the Gawad Kalasag 2011.

Regional winners will represent the region in the national contest.

“Certainly, we are aiming for Hall of Fame citation for at least two entries namely Albay Provincial DRRMC in the provincial category and Child Sponsorship for Community Development Incorporated (CSCDI) in the non-government organization on humanitarian assistance category,” Alejandro announced.

Last year, seven awards were notched by government and private organizations in Bicol including five (5) other Albay-based entities secured awards in various categories: (a) Legazpi City – 2nd in component city category (it was first last year) (b) Child Sponsorship for Community Development Incorporated – 1st in NGO category (c) Simon of Cyrene Children’s Rehabilitation and Development Inc. – 2nd in NGO category (d) Daraga National High – 3rd in Best School Category and (e) BRTTH – 3rd in Best Hospital Category.

The municipality of Calabanga, Camarines Sur was named 2nd Best Municipal DRRMC in 1st-3rd class category and Barangay Cagsao, Calabanga town bagged 3rd Best Barangay DRRMC in rural barangay category.

Meanwhile, Albay Governor Joey Salceda said that the province, vying for the Hall of Fame citation is stepping up strategies to the next level of preparedness and resources committed to the efforts of attaining a higher goal - that development can proceed in the midst of disaster risks.

Salceda noted that the six awards to Albay proves that the DRR ethos or culture of preparedness has become a pervasive character of the province that is confronted with multiple hazards- from19-21 typhoons, volcanic eruption, floods, landslides, storm surges.

Meanwhile, the regional selection committee of Gawad Kalasag 2011 in Bicol, co-chaired by the OCD and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), has recently convened in preparation for this year’s assessment of entries and get the most number of participants to the awards program in all categories.

The goal of Bicol Regional DRRMC, according to Alejandro, transcends mere garnering the awards but rather encourage all communities, from provinces to cities and towns, down to the barangays and puroks as well as organizations mainstream disaster risk reduction strategies and measure in their day to day living.

The mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction in local communities communes with the priority agenda of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III on disaster risk reduction, preparedness and mitigation. (MAL, PIA V/Albay)

Local entrepreneurs’ successes highlighted in 'Go Negosyo' Caravan

by Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY, June 22 (PIA) -- Sorsogon entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs will grace the grand opening and hosting of the Department of Trade and Industry-Region V’s "Work on Wheels (WOW) and Diskwento Caravan" here in Sorsogon today and tomorrow, June 22-23, at the Aemilianum College Inc.,

DTI Sorsogon provincial director Leah Pagao said that every Saturday, successful entrepreneurs in the province will share the limelight with Ann Margarett Antonio in the "Go Negosyo" episodes aired at GMA 7 for two successive Saturdays from 8:00- 8:30 AM and with a replay every Tuesday at 8:00 PM at the National Broadcasting Network (NBN).

To be featured in DTI's Go Negosyo Tagumpay portion of the show are successful entrepreneurs who will be sharing with the public the significant impact of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council's (SMED) support in the success of their business.

"Here in the province of Sorsogon, the Go Negosyo "Tagumpay" Forum will be more inspiring with the affirmation of successful business entrepreneurs like Ms. Linda Corciga of the Sorsogon Foods Enterprises, and Mr. Ryan D. Detera of Tia Berning's Pili Candies, both now are more on the export industry of their businesses", Pagao said.

"A Kapihan type of ‘Q and A’ will be provided where participants will be given the chance to know the rudiments of doing business", Marinella Hernandez, chief, trade and industry development specialist explained.

Through DTI’s Go Negosyo Tagumpay Forum, living testimonies that grassroots development can be achieved and people who desire to make things happen, are given more chance to make it big in business.

According to Hernandez, there will also be 13-school recipients of computers through their Personal Computer Programming School (PCPS4) now on its 4th year of implementation.

Dr. Marilyn Dimaano, Sorsogon provincial schools division superintendent and Dr. Virgilio Real, Sorsogon City schools division superintendent, will receive the personal computers for their schools.

To grace the occasion is the managing director of the Certification International Philippines (CIP), Mr. Renato V. Navarette who will award DTI-RO 5 with ISO-9001:2008 certification.

Engr. Merly M. Cruz, undersecretary of DTI-ROG will deliver her message to underscore the PNoys administration trusts in the development of the SMEs in the countryside through the Caravan. (MAL/IAG, PIA Sorsogon)

DA's AKBay program to benefit 209 farmers, fisherfolk

VIRAC, Catanduanes, June 22 (PIA) -- A total of 209 farmers and fisherfolk in the province qualified for the "Agrikultura: Kaagapay ng Bayang Pinoy" (AKBay) program of the Department of Agriculture.

A ceremonial launching of the program was held at the Provincial Capitol Dome last June 15, 2011 attended bgriculture Undersecretary for Field Operations Joel Rudinas, DA Bicol Regional Director Jose Dayao, OIC-executive Director of the National Agriculture and Fishery Council (NAFC) and provincial officials of the province.

Recepients are five (5) from Bato; 21 from Gigmoto; 25 from Baras; 25 from San Miguel and 26 from Panganiban, Viga, Bagamanoc and Pandan.

The program aims to assist the targeted marginalized farm households to have a hands-on training in managing entrepreneurial projects. It also seeks to provide a valuable experience for farmers to establish track records and enable them to avail loans from financing institutions.

A maximum of P10, 000 in financial assistance is being given for short-gestating micro-livelihood projects like vegetable raising, poultry, piggery and backyard fishponds with the recipients providing counterpart in the form of land, materials, labor and other facilities.

76 of the 209 qualified farmers and fisherfolk in Catanduanes received their checks last week. (MAL/EAB, PIA Catanduanes)

Aquino maintains near historical high results from survey firms

MANILA (PIA) -- Malacanang expressed President Benigno S. Aquino III’s gratefulness to the Filipino people over the latest survey results that reflect a wide-ranging support for the administration’s efforts to curb corruption, pursue inclusive growth, and deliver basic services.

In a media interview at the Palace Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the President’s performance and trust ratings remained at near-historical highs as shown in the recent Pulse Asia “Ulat sa Bayan Survey” both recorded at 71 percentage points for the survey period of May 21 to June 4, 2011.

Lacierda said that the results from surveys conducted by the two different firms, Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia, merely shows almost the same results which disprove attempts by some opposition groups to convince the public on the eroding support of the people to the Aquino administration.

“There is a difference in the way survey results are being handled by both survey firms… SWS would report on the net satisfaction rating but if you look at the gross satisfaction rating or the gross approval, they are almost near the same… SWS says 64 while Pulse Asia has 71… so we believe that this would disprove the opposition’s attempts to convince the public that the people are no longer behind the President, this just proves otherwise,” Lacierda said.

“Sa Pulse Asia 71, which is near historical high… his highest was I think 80 or 79? So mataas pa rin so hindi nag-iiba masyado sa SWS gross satisfaction numbers…” he added.

In a recent study, the Pulse Asia said that based on its face-to-face interviews with 1,200 people, 71 percent or seven in 10 Filipinos trust and approve of the performance of President Aquino.

Pulse Asia said that the difference from the President's ratings compared to the March 2011 survey "do not vary significantly."

In a separate survey released by the SWS, the President’s net rating slipped from a record high of 64 in November last year to 46 this month, with 64 percent of Filipinos saying they were satisfied with his performance and 18 percent dissatisfied.

The survey was conducted from June 3 to 6 among 1,200 respondents.

SWS said the Chief Executive’s new scores, despite the drop, were all in the “good” and “very good” ranges across all areas, social classes and sex.

The President assured that he will remain committed to leading the nation to the straight and righteous path towards equitable progress.

Aquino says China must follow international law

MANILA (PIA) -- China must adhere to international law in resolving the dispute in the South China Sea, President Aquino III said on Wednesday in a press conference in Cotabato City.

The President was reacting to a question from the media regarding the call of US Republican Sen. John McCain who said the US government must help Southeast Asian countries build up naval defenses to counter aggressive Chinese actions in the South China Sea.

The US should aid the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to build their maritime defense and detection capabilities and to develop and deploy basic systems such as early- warning radar and coastal security vessels, according to McCain in his speech in Washington.

The President said claimant countries must adhere to international law by using the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to settle the dispute in the South China Sea.

UNCLOS which was promulgated in 1982, says that an exclusive economic zone of a country is defined as 200 miles from its continental shelf, he said.

The President noted that Reed Bank, which is not part of the dispute until China came up with its 9 dash theory, is 80 miles from Palawan and about 570 miles from Hainan Island in China, the closest point from Chinese territory.

“So pag sinabi nating adhere to international law and we expect China to adhere to that and with America backing us up and other Asean claimants we expect that the UN, America and other interested parties who have to traverse this body of water will insist their freedom of navigation and adherence to UNCLOS,” he said.

But the President stressed that the Philippines’s actions shouldn’t be interpreted as aggressive posturing towards other claimant countries in the South China Sea.

“I don’t think that I would be doing my duty to the people and to the state if you agree na ‘sige lahat ng gusto n’yo sa inyo na lang dahil ang laki nyo sa amin.’ Mukha hong maling prinsipyo iyun. Our basis for our claim is well-founded especially under this treaty ratified by so many countries including China,” the President added.

McCain, a ranking member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, said China’s aggressive behavior and its unsubstantiated territorial claims in the South China Sea are exacerbating tensions.

Tensions have been high in the area as the Philippines and Vietnam claim Chinese ships had harassed their oil and gas survey vessels.

Good economic management pushes overall investments up, says Coloma

MANILA (PIA) -- The increase in the country’s overall investment is a result of good stewardship of the economic managers of the Aquino administration, Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communication Operations Office said.

During the Barangay PBS program aired over government run radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Wedesday, Coloma said there are many aspects of knowing the economic status of a country and one of these is the rating being undertaken by investment rating agencies.

He noted that almost all of the leading rating agencies have adjusted their ratings for the Philippines obviously as a result of good economic management of the Aquino administration and the continuing confidence of investors for the Philippines.

“Lahat naman nitong mga rating agencies ay binago na iyung ratings nila pataas at ngayon lamang natamo ang kasing-taas na rating na nagpapahiwatig lamang na malaki ang kumpiyansa ng mga mamumuhunan, mga mangangalakal at ng finance and investment communities dahil bilib sila sa kalidad ng economic management at political leadership dito sa ating bansa,” Coloma said.

In an article, former Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ceilito Habito said that despite the significant drop in foreign direct investment in the country, its foreign investment approval increased as well as other aspects like public investment with the overall investments reaching 37 percent because of the growth in private and domestic investments.