NEW BICOL PNP CHIEF INSTALLED,
VOWS TO CURB CRIMINALITY IN THE REGION

LEGAZPI CITY — Chief Superintendent Rueben Padua has been installed Monday (August 24) as the new chief of the Bicol Philippine National Police regional office taking over the reigns of Chief Superintendent Cecilio Calleja, deputy regional director for administration.

Calleja was designated Thursday (August 20) officer-in-charge vice Chief Superintendent Paterno Bangui who retired also Thursday.

At the turn over ceremonies, Padua said he would pursue the programs, projects and policies laid down by his predecessors, including the police transformation program as conceptualize b PNP Director General Jesus Versosa.

The newly installed Bicol PNP chief vowed to curb criminality in the region, underlining intensified campaigns against criminal elements that have been hampering the region's economic growth and development.

He stressed, “This could only be attained through police visibility, capability building of various police units across the region and improvement of police units. “

“Aside from waging war against criminality, the drive against various illegal activities and insurgency would also be stepped up,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Abner Cabalquinto, director of PNP NHQ Personnel and Records based in Camp Crame, officiated the turn over rites. (MALoterte, PIA V)


PRIMRR HOLDS DRR CAPACITY BUILDING

SORSOGON Province – A four-day Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) capacity building seminar-workshop was held in Gubat town here seeking to improve the skills and competence of the disaster managers for a sustainable DRR implementation in the local communities.

Governor Sally Lee said that the capacity building activity forms part of the 15-month project of Oxfam–Great Britain entitled “Safer and More Prepared Women and Men through a Permanent Disaster Risk Management Office” or Project PRIMRR (Provincial Readiness to Institutionalize and Mainstream Risk Reduction) which draws funding support from the 6th Action Plan of DIPECHO.

Lee stressed “this is also our effort to replicate the experience of Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), now serving as model not only in Sorsogon but also among provinces of Pampanga, Saranggani and even abroad”.

She added that the project supports partnerships and collaborative undertakings on strategies that enable stakeholders, local communities and institutions develop capacities with the end view of building disaster resilience and reduce vulnerabilities to disaster.

Activities undertaken by the participants were capacity building orientation on DRR and application through demonstration of the skills and learning acquired from the resource speakers.

Lee said that the Disaster Risk Management Office (DRMO) staff/officers, provincial planning officers, representatives from target communities and local media partners were made to answer the DRR mainstreaming tool developed by National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

“Participants are also taught of how to install, operate and read digital rain gauges which will soon be distributed to different barangays across the province,” she added.

The project is also supported by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), an international non-government organization through its Disaster Preparedness Program (DIPECHO). (BARecebido, PIA Sorsogon)

MASBATE SETS SIGHT ON BECOMING BICOL’S TOP FISH-FARMING CITY

MASBATE CITY— From being the province’s trading hub, this city now wants to be known as the region’s top fish-farming city by turning more than 200 hectares of municipal waters into a “Mariculture Park.”

In line with this, the city government here will launch before year-end the P5-million project at Masbate Bay.

Tuesday last week, Mayor Socrates M. Tuason approved an ordinance crafted by Vice Mayor Allan B. Cos and his city councilors, which will govern the operation and financing of the mariculture park that would cover the waters off the villages of Kinamaligan, Maingaran, Batuhan, Bantigue and Pawa.

The project, which includes the establishment of small, medium and large scale mariculture operation like fish cages, fish pens and corral traps as well as the creation of the Masbate City Mariculture Executive Management Council (MCMEMC), will be jointly undertaken by the city government and its partner, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

City Councilor Lucio J. Aguilar, the project proponent, said the joint venture would give the not only the city but the province as a whole long-term economic and environmental benefits in terms of investments and livelihood opportunities.

High value species such as bangus, lapulapu, pompano, apahap, mangagat and talakitok will be grown in the park, according to Ordinance No. 112-09.

BFAR is promoting fish farming to ensure the supply of fish in the country despiute the challenges brought about by climate change, the agency said in a statement.

Citing international studies, BFAR head Malcolm Sarmiento Jr. said the climate change was making fishing trips more perilous as fishermen were compelled to venture farther in the seas to catch fish.

According to Sarmiento, fish farming provides a good alternative to open sea fishing since it ensures regular fish harvests and, therefore, a more regular source of income. (EADelgado, PIA Masbate)


BFP SORSOGON CITY RESCUERS CITED

SORSOGON CITY— The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) station here was cited by Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and C/Supt. Rolando Bandilla, BFP chief, recognizing the sacrifice and selfless deed of the local fire station personnel here.

The award was given in due recognition of the firefighters who evacuated and rescued a number of stranded and trapped residents in this city on the onslaught of typhoon Dante

It can be recalled C/Insp, Renato Marcial, BFP chief here, led a team of emergency response team from the unit in a relief and rescue operation during the height of the typhoon, saving residents who were trapped in barangays Piot, Gimaloto and Bacon district by flooding.

The same unit was also instrumental in setting up temporary footbridge when Rawis Bridge in Bacon district collapsed to transfer residents and commuters from one bank to the other. Stranded commuters were also provided assistance when Madarag Bridge in Maharlika Highway was impassable.

The “Medalya ng Pagtulong sa Nasalanta” was personally received by Marcial expressing his appreciation to the BFP national headquarters for citing the sacrifice and selfless deed of his personnel.

“In behalf of the gallant men and women of BFP Sorsogon City, I would like to convey our gratitude to Sec. Puno and Gen. Bandilla for giving due recognition to the selfless acts exhibited by my men during the height of typhoon Dante”, Marcial said receiving the medal.

This is the second time that the same unit received a national award.

Last April, this year, “Medalya ng Papuri” was conferred to the BFP Sorsogon City in due recognition of the firefighters’ heroic act of saving the life of one Nestor Chaves, passenger of a ten-wheeler truck loaded with 400 pieces of LPG that met a freak accident at sitio Tublijon here. (BFP Sorsogon City/PIA)


109th ANNIVERSARY OF THE PHILIPPINE CIVIL SERVICE

LEGAZPI CITY — “Honoring our Heroes in the Republic Service: Responsive, Ethical Public Servants with Vision, Impact, Commitment and Excellence” has been aptly chosen for this year’s celebration of the 109th anniversary of the Philippine Civil Service (PCS) to give due reward and recognition to the new crop of exemplars in public service.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) Bicol regional office here has announced various activities in time for the celebration of the PCS in September this year, which will be highlighted the regional and national honor awards for Outstanding Public Servants for 2009.

Reynaldo Atendido, CSC Bicol personnel specialist, told PIA Ugnayan sa Bikol radio program that several government-wide activities were already in place including the airing of a taped message by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo; simultaneous flag-raising ceremonies; nationwide promotion of Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) of 2007 and Honor Awards Program; special CS anniversary TV show “Republic Service”; special edition of the Republic Service e-Newsletter; and, awards rites for the 2009 Presidential Lingkod Bayan, the Dangal ng Bayan and CSC Pagasa Award.

Atendido said that CSC Bicol meanwhile will lead the regional/provincial recognition and awards rites for the 2009 HAP Finalists, Gantimpala Agad awardees, Bilis Aksyon Partners (BAPs), and Top Rating Agencies in PASADA/”Brigada Ahensya”.

He added that the agency will also hold seminar-workshop on Public Service Ethics ad Accountability, customer service, interfacing with stakeholders, charity missions in poor communities and stage “Government Express at the Malls’.

CSC Bicol also encourages government agencies to live up to their respective Citizen’s Charter in serving the people, strengthen desks and anti-fixer campaigns, adopt of output-based performance evaluation system. (MALoterte,PIA V/RAAtendido, CSC V)


PHIVOLCS TO INSTALL DIGITAL TILT-METERS AROUND MAYON

LEGAZPI CITY – Scientists of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) here are installing two to three units of highly-accurate digital tilt-meters to get a regular reading of the inflation and deflationary trends of the edifice of Mayon volcano.

“We are currently exploring strategic locations around Mayon Volcano’s upper slopes to install the tilt-meters,” resident volcanologist Eduardo Laguerta of Phivolcs here said.

Laguerta explained that tilt meters will be installed on the slopes of the volcano to complement other monitoring instruments, such as the seismographs for the volcanic quakes, the Fly Spectrometers (Fly-Spec) for Sulfur Dioxide emission, the Correlation Spectrometer (Co-Spec), and the online telescoping web cameras to obtain the parameters’ data, both on scientific and physical observations of the volcano from the Liñgon Hill Observatory Center.

The tilt-meters, each costs some millions of pesos, were acquired through the cooperation of the Philippine government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Meanwhile, Phivolcs has maintained Alert Level 2 for Mayon, meaning, the volcano is in the state of unrest which could lead to ash explosions or eventually to hazardous magmatic eruption

Phivolcs strongly recommends anew that the 6-km radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) around the volcano and the 7-km Extended Danger Zone (EDZ) on the southeast flank of the volcano are off-limits due to the threat from sudden explosions and rock falls from the upper slopes.

Active river channels and those areas perennially identified as lahar prone in the southeast sector should also be avoided especially during bad weather conditions or when there is heavy and prolonged rainfall.

On the other hand, Alex Baloloy, Phivolcs senior science specialist, is accompanying Japanese scientists from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) in conducting other surveys around the volcano. (MALoterte, PIA V)


PGMA orders DOTC to implement necessary preventive measures

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday, expressed anger the deaths caused by bus accidents, the latest of which was the accident on Sunday in Lucena.

In a statement read for her by Press Secretary Cerge Remonde in a press briefing here, the President also issued marching orders to Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro
Mendoza to implement immediately necessary preventive measures.

“A lot of accidents caused by buses have happened this week, including that of a mother and child and the incident that took place in Lucena, claiming lives. I would like to express my very serious concern about these incidents. I am very angry because of unnecessary loss of lives,” the President said.

The President added that it is really sad to lose lives, especially of loved ones on these kind of accidents that could have been prevented.

At the same time, the President called on all stakeholders to a dialogue to discuss preventive measures.

The Press Secretary also said the President will visit the victims of the Lucena bus accident after the 33rd full cabinet meeting here.

An update from the Lucena police said that another passenger who was critically injured in the head-on collision of two buses in Lucena past midnight Sunday died Monday evening, raising to nine the death toll in the bloody accident.

Shortly after midnight Sunday, a Lucena-bound Lucena Lines bus collided with Manila-bound A. Bragais Liner along the diversion road of the Maharlika Highway in the village of Domoit in Quezon province.

Eight bus passengers died on the spot and 41 others were injured. A week ago, a bus ran over a mother and child along Edsa, resulting to the death of the child while the mother was seriously injured. (PIA V Release)


Better growth for RP in Q2 ‘09- Moody

MANILA — Moody’s Investors Service projects a better performance from Philippines economy in the second quarter this year noting the same trend in other countries in the region.

In its Asia Spotlight report today, Moody’s, on the other hand, said the figure will be lower than the 0.4 percent output registered by the domestic economy in the first quarter this year.

Moody’s Economy.com forecasts a 0.1 percent year-on-year output for the Philippines from April to June this year, within the -0.1 to 0.9 percent projection of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

“But this drop stems from a strong result for the second quarter of 2008,” it said.

The report added that “output is expected to have risen compared with the previous quarter.”

Philippines registered a 4.6 percent output, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), in the second quarter of 2008. The GDP in the first quarter this year is lower than the 3.9 percent in the first three months last year.

Moody’s economist Alaistair Chan, the report said, almost all member-economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) “have emerged from recession” as shown by the reports of each country respectively.

The report said Thailand registered a 9.5 percent year-on-year growth for the second quarter this year from 6.2 percent in the previous quarter; Singapore by 20.7 percent from -11.5 percent in the first
quarter; and Indonesia by four percent from 4.4 percent in the previous three months.

Although Indonesia posted lower growth, Moody’s said that in general “output was lower than in the same period a year earlier but higher than in the first quarter—spectacularly so in some countries.”

Figures for the Malaysia and Philippines are yet to be released. For the Philippines the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) are set to report the 2009 second quarter output of the domestic economy on August 27, 2009.

Economic managers see a better performance for the economy in the second quarter this year due to the continued resiliency of the remittance from Overseas Filipinos (OFs) and the expected pick-up of infrastructure projects among others.

Moody’s noted that rebound of the economies in the region was first seen in the industrial production.

It said that “after reaching a bottom around January, production growth has rebounded in an almost perfect V shape.”

“Fiscal and monetary stimulus measures have played a large part, but one big factor in some economies has been inventory restocking,” it said.

It added that “the scale of the inventory reduction among ASEAN producers will boost growth in subsequent quarters, especially in Thailand, where inventories continued to fall in the second quarter.”

However, it stressed that “the pace of improvement is already slowing” now that “producers have a clearer idea of final demand and are producing at a level that does not induce large changes in
inventories.”

“If this moderation continues, it will suggest that the rebound in GDP growth in the second quarter is unlikely to be repeated in coming quarters,” it added. (PIA V Release)

Release of 14 NDF consultants legally 'doable'—Bello

MANILA — A Malacanang official on Tuesday said that the demand of the National Democratic Front (NDF) for the release of 14 peace panel consultants is legally ‘doable’.

Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a radio interview, said the only thing needed to settle was the mechanics of the release of the NDF consultants so that they could take part in the peace process of the GRP-NDF.

”That is not a problem, legally it can be done. It is a question of discussing and agreeing on the terms of reference of the release of the NDF consultants,” Bello, a lawyer and a former Justice Secretary said.

But Bello did not elaborate on what steps should be done and what would be needed to arrange the release of the NDF consultants.

Earlier, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Avelino Razon Jr. had alluded that the new demand might be a sign that the NDF was not serious in pursuing peace negotiations.

"The NDF must "speak clearly" on whether it is still interested in the peace negotiations. The government remains open to pursuing the peace negotiations. We invite the NDF to speak clearly on whether or not they are returning to the peace table," Razon said in an interview over the weekend.

The NDF has set a meeting with the government on Sept. 5, results of which would make or break its decision on whether or not to continue talking peace with President Gloria Arroyo’s government, or wait for the next administration.

But Bello said the Arroyo administration considered peace as one of the most important goals, saying it was a “condition sine qua non" to progress.

He also said that NDF consultant and Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison’s new conditions for the resumption of talks dismayed him.

Bello reminded Sison that when the government and the NDF signed a joint declaration in The Hague, both agreed that "the peace negotiations should be conducted without any preconditions."

”Let us talk without such conditions, we will talk until we reach a consensus on how to achieve lasting peace for our country," Bello said. (PIA V Release)


PGMA goes to London to speak at forum of 'The Economist' media group

MANILA— President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has accepted an invitation to speak at a forum in London organized by the London-based newsmagazine, “The Economist,” in mid-September, it was confirmed today.

This is a private invitation by the media outfit — a leader in financial and business reporting in the industry - and is not a State Visit to the United Kingdom, sources clarified. The date of her appearance is on or before September 19, sources added.

It s not known what topic the President of the Philippines has been assigned to speak on, the sources said, but “most possibly it will be on emerging markets,” the sources said.

The invitation clearly indicates that the President is acknowledged for how she steered the Philippine economy out of the global financial crisis. It will be recalled that her Finance Secretary, Gary Teves, was given a special award early this year as “Financial Man of the Year.“

The Economist is a media leader in the field of economics and financial reporting.
While in London, it is only natural that the President might want to meet the Filipino community in the United Kingdom as well as have private talks with businessmen and key politicians. These are now being arranged, sources said.

The President may decide to proceed to Saudi Arabia for another visit, the sources said. (PIA V Release))


Gov't gears up for commercial exportation of yellow corn

MANILA — Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap has announced that the government, for the first time in history, is gearing up for the commercial exportation of yellow corn.

The National Food Authority (NFA) has gotten in touch with its counterparts in Vietnam who have committed to prioritize buying Philippine corn.

"The government is ready to export 50,000 to 150,000 metric tons of corn. This will come from Isabela, Pangasinan, Mindoro, Bukidnon, among other provinces," NFA Administrator Jessup Navarro said.

Corn production for the second semester is expected to spike up from 656,723 MT to 802,964 MT in Region 2, while Northern Mindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are expected to post significant increases as well.

With the increased of yellow corn production in the country, Yap sees this as a good opportunity for the country to export corn.

This new development in the corn sub-sector seeks to help farmers, mostly in corn producing provinces, such as Isabela and Pangasinan, to earn more despite the looming price drop-off foreseen in the local
corn industry due to surplus in production.

“We have consulted with the local corn farmers, and we have reached in agreeable terms,” Yap said.

Upon the proposal of Yap, the government and the farmers have agreed on a new buying price of corn pegged at P10.00 per kilo instead of the prevailing market price of P6.50-P7.00 and the cost of production of corn at 7.81 per kg.

“This will enable the government to buy more grain as well as provide income to the farmers,” he said.

“As per our arrangement, the farmers have agreed to sell their produce at P10.00 per kilo. Para maiwasan din ang pagkalugi ng mga magmamais,” he added.

NFA has reached the total buying of corn to 600,000 metric tons because of the P10 buying price. Yap said more corn produce will be bought by the NFA from the local corn farmers at P10 per kilo.

“With this, the NFA has to work round-the-clock by extending working hours and implementing a seven-day operation and to do double-shifts daily,” Yap said.

Earlier, Yap has ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) to increase corn procurement by as much as 200 percent as part of the government’s strategy to counter the effects of the looming price-crash of the grain and support the Filipino corn farmers.

Yap, who presented strategy measures as early as May 19 to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during a Cabinet meeting held at General Santos City, instructed NFA Administrator Jessup Navarro to increase corn grain buying target from 100,000 metric tons to 300,000 MT as an affirmation of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) commitment to the farmers.

“We have funds for this and we will continue to support our farmers,” Yap said. He further instructed the NFA to look for other innovative ways to expand the support to the country's corn farmers. (PIA V Release))