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Official Publication of the Philippine Information Agency Bicol Regional Office, in cooperation with the RIAC-REDIRAS - RDC Bicol



Monday, March 25, 2013


CSU trains agri staff on rearing European Queen Bee

By Edna A. Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, March 22 (PIA) -- As part of sustaining the program of its newly established Apiculture Center, Catanduanes State University Extension Services, in partnership with the Apiculture Center of Central Bicol State University of Agriculture, trained 25 municipal agriculture officers, agricultural technicians, farmers, and extension workers on Rearing of European Queen Honeybee on March 11-13, 2012.

Kelly Clark, Canadian volunteer and adviser, gave lectures at the Provincial Apiculture Center, CSU Bio Park.

Queen-bee rearing is the raising of healthy virgin queens from good genetic stock and providing conditions that will allow them to mature and mate properly and be the foundation of effective bee colonies.

Queen bee typically refers to an adult, mated female that lives in a honeybee colony or hive. She is usually the mother of most, if not all, the bees in the hive. The queens are developed from larvae selected by worker bees and specially fed in order to become sexually mature. There is normally only one adult, mated queen in a hive.

The Provincial Apiculture Center of Catanduanes State University was launched on November 29, 2012 with funding support of P300,000 from the local government of Virac through Congressman Cesar V. Sarmiento.

Several bee colonies housed in simulated beehives were installed at the Center to induce honey bee production. Beekeeping is recognized by the Department of Agriculture (DA) as an important agricultural activity providing income and livelihood to small farmers.

DA promotes beekeeping through the Bureau of Animal Industry in coordination with the NARTDI or the National Apiculture Research, Training and Development Institute. NARTDI was created through RA 9151 and it is under the auspices of Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in La Union.

According to pinoybisnis.com, beekeeping is a business opportunity with social, economic, and ecological benefits that requires minimal time, labor, and resources.

Four species of honeybee thrive best in the Philippines:the Apis mellifera also called European honeybees, Apis cerana also locally called laywan, Apis dorsata commonly called pukyutan, Apis melliponinea or stingless bees

The Sunflower, pinoybisnis.com adds, is the source of nectar which is essential in beekeeping, particularly in producing quality and premium honey. Some of the forest tree species, which are good sources of pollen and nectars for the bees, are narra, calliandra, eucalyptus, oak tree, molave, camachili, kakawate, duhat, rain tree, African tulip, jacaranda, ipil-ipil, and other forest trees.

Cereal crops like corn and plants such as banana, mango, coconut, coffee, cacao, citrus, peanut, mongo, tomato, and eggplant are favorites of honeybees.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines apiculture (from the Latin Api or bees) as the science and practice of bee keeping.

The words apiculture and beekeeping, FAO adds, tend to be applied loosely and used synonymously: in some parts of the world, significant volumes of honey are today still obtained by plundering wild colonies of bees – this honey hunting cannot be properly described as beekeeping. Honey hunting remains an important part of many rural livelihoods. FAO states that in some parts of the world apiculture forms part of the work of hunter-gatherers, while elsewhere apiculture is practiced by highly industrialized agriculturalists in the world’s richest nations.

An FAO expert further says the product people most associate with bees is honey, although beekeeping generates much more than just honey. The maintenance of biodiversity and pollination of crops are the most valuable services provided by bees.

Bee-keeping experts say that honey is just one of several products that can be harvested in the bee colony. Others are beeswax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly,and venom. Apitherapy, which is the medicinal use of honey bee venom as well as honey bee products, is also one of the benefits that can be derived from the beekeeping industry. (GSR/CSU)



Robredo's monument to rise in Naga City

By Analiza S. Macatangay

NAGA CITY, March 25 (PIA) -- A 2-storey Jesse M. Robredo (JMR) Museum will soon rise in a 3,450 square kilometer area just inside the Naga City Civic Center. On Thursday, March 21, President Benigno Aquino III personally graced the groundbreaking ceremony and capsule laying, to signal the commencement of the proposed edifice here.

Contrary to the usual concept of an imposing monument, JMR’s statue will convey the message of humility, simplicity and modesty as JMR best exemplified during his tenure as a public official.

As proposed, the ground floor of the museum will house commercial units, shops, temporary exhibits gallery, Center for Good Governance and public comfort rooms. The commercial spaces intend to generate fund for the maintenance of the said edifice.

The second floor will feature a Museum lobby where Robredo’s life will be depicted in photos from his growing up years as a typical Nagueño boy, to his tenure as a local public servant and as a national leader. The strings of photos will also include photos of Robredo as a loving father to his three daughters and husband to his wife.

These areas will be marked as JMR Gallery 1, JMR Gallery 2 and open Gallery. Visitors can also drop by the Museum Shop where souvenir items will be displayed and sold.

On the same space will be an audio-visual room which can also function as venue for lectures, seminars, book launches and similar activities. It will also feature a roof deck café, a curatorial office and a VIP room and conference room.

Naga City Budget Officer Frank Mendoza said that the monument costs P2 million. This will be taken from the national fund particularly as part of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines or NHCP’s promotion of culture and the arts.

The monument will portray Robredo sitting on the second layer of a stair, wearing his Viva La Virgen shirt, shorts and his welcoming smile. The design, Mendoza added, will depict Robredo as a listener and as a servant who is willing to accommodate people from all walks of life to share their stories.

“The structure will portray the Jess that Naga have loved and the world had embraced. As for the museum cost, it amounted to P50 million.
At present, the city government is still looking for possible sources of funding before we can start its construction. As for the design, the simplicity in architecture is synonymous to complete, straightforward and uncomplicated. It is not extravagant and excessive,” Mendoza said in an interview.

The monument and the museum will be both housed in the vast playground in the heart of the Naga City Civic Center. Surrounding the structures are full grown and age-old acacia trees which will serve as complimenting elements to the architecture as it endeavors to reinforce the deep sense of community of Nagueños. (LSM-PIA 5, Camarines Sur)

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