OCD BICOL HOLDS 2ND REGIONAL DRRM SUMMIT

NAGA CITY, Camarnes Sur (March 15) — In its continuing effort to strengthen the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) framework, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol spearheaded the “2nd Bicol Stakeholder’s Summit 2010: a multi- sectoral forum on Strengthening Collaborative Disaster Risk Management System for the Bicol Region” , March 11 at Villa Caceres here.

Director Bernardo R. Alejandro IV, OCD Bicol regional director, discussed the details of the proposed DDRM Act of 2010, noting that the bill was approved in the bicameral conference on January 27, ratified by both houses of Congress on February 1, and is now only awaiting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to sign it into law.

Alejandro said that the DRRM, once signed by President Arroyo will take on a pro-active, comprehensive, integrated and a community-based approach in managing the risk posed by upcoming disasters.

“We will involve all our stakeholders in implementing the guidelines so that all sectors will have a hand in delivering its services to our people,” he added.

One of the salient features of DRRM is the enhancement of OCD functions and organizational structure. The OCD Administrator will exercise the rank and privileges of an Undersecretary and can create necessary offices that will help in the implementation of its mandated functions. The OCD Regional Director will serve as the Chairperson of the Regional Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Committee and will function as the secretariat.

Albay Provincial Disaster Management Officer (APSEMO) chief Cedrip Daep, meanwhile, shared his insights based on the real experience of Albay in coming out unscathed from the major disasters that devastated the province.

Daep pointed out that Albay succeeded in its zero-casualty goal with the implementation of pre-emptive evacuation. He also said that a big chunk of this preparedness was due to the province’s adaptation to climate change. “There is a 70 percent overlap between adaptation and disaster risk-reduction in the Albay context.”

Daep also said that Albay’s DRR programs have also received continuous support from the central government agencies like the Office of Civil Defense, National Housing Authority, Department of Agriculture, National Irrigation Administration, Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Albay also nurtured the partnership with international aid agencies like the UNDP, AECID, USAID, JICA, WFP, FAO, EC-Dipecho, Italian Cooperation, ADPC,Christian Aid, Oxfam, Manila Observatory, Habitat for Humanity and numerous NGOs and civic organizations.

The DRRM Act of 2010 is envisioned to address the root causes of vulnerabilities to disasters while strengthening the country’s institutional capacity for risk reduction and management and building the resilience of local communities to disasters including climate change impact. (LSMacatangay, PIA CamSur )


DISGRUNTLED REBELS IN SORSOGON
SURRENDER TO GOVERNMENT

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur (March 15) — Two disgruntled NPA rebels voluntarily surrendered to government troops in Barangay Rangas of Juban town, Sorsogon Thursday (March 11), a military officer said.
1st Lieutenant Jimmy C Amoloy, commander of the Alpha Company of the 22nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army based in the said barangay, averred Jonas Enriquez and Merwin Arcabado y Romblon, members of KOMPROB MMX of the CPP-NPA-NDF, surrendered around 8:00 pm on the…
The two rebels brought with them three firearms, including one M16A1 Rifle, one Shotgun, one Caliber .45 M1911A1 Pistol and one Cal .357 revolver, a binocular and a rifle grenade.
In a phone interview with this writer, Arcabado said he was fed up by the empty promises of his recruiters who persuaded them to leave their family members in Aroroy, Masbate to fight for their ‘cause’.
“Our leaders in the ‘movement’ were getting so much money from our extortion activities. Majority of the ‘fighters’ like me cannot even sustain my family whom I left behind in our barangay,” he said.
Enriquez, on the other hand, lamented that his only son does not recognize him anymore, adding that, “I wish to live a normal life and feed my family with the products of my own labor. I am ashamed to admit that we are forcing other people to give us ‘revolutionary tax’ so that we can buy food for our starving family members”.
The two former rebel were also debriefed at the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Battalion in Pili, Camarines Sur.
Lieutenant Cololonel Leoncio Cirunay, commander of the 22nd Infantry Battalion, meanwhile said that the duo will receive various financial and livelihood benefits from the government.
“This is a good indication that more and more rebels are enlightened about the evils of their banditry,” said Cirunay.
Major General Ruperto R Pabustan, commander of the 9th Infantry Division, formally welcomed two rebels returning to the folds of the law who expressed intention to help persuade many of their former comrades to go back to the folds of the law.
(Maj. HMCabunoc, PAO 9ID PA/PIA)

DSWD BICOL RELEASES P14 M
FOR CASH-FOR-WORK PROJECT IN ALBAY

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay (March 15) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-) in Bicol has released the amount of P14 million to the Provincial Government of Albay for the Cash for Work Project seen to benefit some 9,525 families most affected by the recent Mayon Volcano eruption.

DSWD Bicol Regional Director Remia Tapispisan said that the family-beneficiaries include residents directly affected by the recent calamity from the cities of Ligao, Legazpi and Tabaco and the towns of Camalig, Guinobatan, Daraga, Sto. Domingo and Malilipot.

Tapispisan elaborated that the head or a member of the families will be employed for various community projects, like canal cleaning and dredging, cleaning of farm lots, rehabilitation of water system and repair of compost pit at the different evacuation centers, clean and green program, among others.

“Each individual who will work on the project will be paid P175 per day for a minimum of four days to a maximum of eight days,” she said.

Cash for work is a short-term intervention to provide temporary employment to displaced individuals by participating in or undertaking rehabilitation projects or activities in the evacuation center or in their communities.

The project discourages continuous dependency and dole-out. The interventions and services of the department for disaster victims must be carried out in a developmental manner in order to preserve human worth and dignity. This can be done by directly involving the disaster victims in community endeavors and maximize their contribution to rehabilitation efforts.

The respective local government units shall implement the approved cash for work project. (EEJerusalem, DSWD/PIA)

DAR-ARCP2 TEAM AND LPOS UNDERGO E-PAP TRAINING

Province of SORSOGON (March 15) — An Orientation-Training on Enhanced Participatory Area Planning (E-PAP) participated in by Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) – Agrarian Reform Communities Project 2 (ARCP2) Team and Local Government Units’ (LGUs) Local Project Offices (LPOs) was held recently in this province.

Participants were the Municipal Planning and Development Councils, Municipal Engineers, Municipal Agriculture Officers, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers and other DAR-Personnel from Bicol Regional Office who were at the same time implementers of the said project.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer II Roseller R. Olayres who is at the same time the ARCP2 Provincial Project Manager in Sorsogon said that among the significant inputs discussed during the activity include the ARCP2 overview and strategic framework, E-PAP framework overview, concept, processes and output as well as its team composition and responsibilities, the formation and orientation of planning team.

“Importance of ARC profiling and secondary data collection as well as the objectives, processes and outputs of BWC (Barangay Workshop Consultation) and Community Visioning were likewise discussed,” Olayres said.

“And to ensure better quality of work output, preparation of masterlist and household grouping and the process in determining respondent and conduct of household survey were also tackled,” he added.

The orientation also provided inputs on how to conduct focused group dialogue, financial analysis, cost and return, and cash flow analysis, constraint and potentials analysis of SWOT, and the constraints tree analysis which are all necessary in the preparation of Comprehensive ARC Development Plan (CARCDP).

The CARCDP is one of the requirements in the implementation of ARCP2.
(LArbolente, DAR/BARecebido, PIA Sorsogon)

NOMINATION FOR THE DR. ELVIRA O. TAN
MEMORIAL AWARDS IN FISHERIES EDUCATION ON

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay (March 15) — The Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (DOST-PCAMRD) announces the Search for the Dr. Elvira O. Tan Memorial Awards for two Outstanding Fisheries Publication (one in Marine Fisheries and the other in Aquaculture/Inland Fisheries) for 2010.

Qualified nominees must have entries considering the following: 1) published in refereed journals; 2) an original paper; 3) of Filipino author (main or senior author); 4) not a review paper or manual; 5) published either in foreign or local journals within the last five years prior to the date of the award in July 2010. Five reprints of each paper together with the nomination should be sent on or before May 31, 2010 to:

The Chairman
Dr. E.O. Tan Memorial Awards
c/o PCAMRD-DOST, Jamboree Road
Economic Garden, Los Baños, Laguna

Criteria include the following: 1) contribution to industry; 2) technical output (methodology, results, conclusion); and 3) sustainability environment.

Interested applicants may visit the website: www.pcamrd.dost.gov.ph for further details.
(POLucena, DOST V/PIA)


DENR CALLS ON COMMUNITIES TO HELP
PREVENT AND CONTROL FOREST FIRES

MANILA (MARCH 15) — Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Horacio C. Ramos has ordered his field officials to step up efforts to prevent forest fires by strengthening their coordination with concerned local government executives and communities to ensure the safety of people and forest vegetation.

“Involving local communities is crucial to prevent and control destructive forest fires. These communities occupy the frontlines in preventing forest fires,” said Ramos in an urgent circular, reiterating that the risk of fire had increased as the long dry spell and high temperatures had left large amounts of flammable debris in forest areas.

On top of this, Ramos also ordered all the Regional Executive Directors (REDs) to fully optimize the manpower pool of Department’s 3,000 regular forest rangers, who will be augmented by emergency laborers hired by the DENR last year under the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Data from DENR’s Forest Management Bureau (FMB) shows that each forest ranger is assigned to patrol around 2,133 hectares.

“Even with an augmented workforce, the effort should be very localized because the people who live in the locality know the local conditions best, making it as the most viable alternative to minimize the damage due to fire losses,” said Ramos, noting that the strategy hinges mainly on its policy of granting forest stakeholders tenurial instruments over public forest lands that need rehabilitation and protection under the Community-Based Forestry Management (CBFM) program.

Nevertheless, he notes that the threats posed by climate change should go beyond the traditional risk season, which generally runs from March to June. “We need to find new was of approaching the forest fire issue which necessitates rectifying the agency’s organizational arrangement for effective progress in forest fire management in the Philippines,” Ramos noted, referring to the present set-up which gives responsibility for suppressing forest fires to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) within the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as a result of the implementation of the 1991 Local Government Code.

A 2004-study commissioned by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) recommended that the DENR should reassume full responsibility to combat forest fire noting that the transfer of such function has reduced the effectiveness of fire management in the country citing that “forest fire management must be seen as a wider social problem, not a narrow technical problem.”

“DENR has a central role to play in addressing this issue and can only do so effectively if it is given responsibility for forest fire management for the land that it manages. It is very reassuring to note that the CBFM initiative in the Philippines has these wider social imperatives at its core. Any initiatives taken by DENR to strengthen the achievement of CBFM’s objectives will also result in increased protection of the forest from fire,” the study noted.

Defensive measures to be undertaken include: monitoring of kaingin activities and unauthorized bush burning in pasture land by cattle raisers; construction of water impounding structures to trap and store water from rainfalls, creeks and rivers; planting of new grasses or brushes in existing two-to-three meter wide firebreaks or buffer fire lines inside tree plantations; inventory of all fire fighting tools; and regular holding of forest fire drills with forest-based communities.

Other measures include preparation of fire control maps and activation of fire protection communication systems, inventory of stocked emergency supplies needed for fire control operations like first-aid kits and non-perishable food supplies, and installation of signboards in fire-prone forested areas warning people about forest fires.

According to CBFM forest fires have been largely blamed on kaingin and other human activities inside forest lands such as soil burning by cattle raisers to induce good grass growth for their herds, charcoal making, camp fires, discarded lit cigarette butts, and gathering of ant eggs and honey. (DENR /PIA)

PGMA TO DBM: ENSURE FUNDS FOR NEXT ROUND OF SALARY HIKEFOR TEACHERS, OTHER CIVIL SERVANTS

MANILA (MARCH 15) — President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo has ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to undertake the necessary preparations for the continuing implementation of the government's Salary Standardization Law (SSL).
"I told DBM to ensure funds for the next round of salary increase for teachers and other civil servants," she announced during her school inspection activity in Camarines Norte province on Monday.
She noted that the SSL is part of the government's support for teachers and other government employees to help improve their lives.
The government earlier increased from P9,000 to P14,000 the monthly salary of public school teachers holding Teacher 1 position, she said.
President Arroyo said she approved the SSL so the government can rationalize salaries of some 1.5 million civil servants nationwide.
Such rationalization aims to bring the civil servants' salaries closer to compensation levels in the private sector.
The national government is implementing SSL in four tranches over a four-year period beginning July 2009.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has lauded the Arroyo administration for the SSL implementation, noting authorities allocated in the 2009 General Appropriations Act (GAA) nearly P19 billion for the salary increase's maiden tranche.
CSC said SSL's initial implementation across local government units is scheduled beginning January 2010.
Aside from helping improve the lives of civil servants, the government is optimistic SSL will help enhance their work performance and generate consumer spending amid the global financial crunch.
To help boost teachers' capability, President Arroyo said the government already released P2 billion for their training, particularly in improving their English language skills.
Such training is needed as government adapted English to be the medium of instruction in schools nationwide.
English is the main language for international transactions.
"I also earlier formed the Presidential Task Force on Education to look into our education system," President Arroyo said.
She noted this aims to identify the education system's gaps and weaknesses so authorities can make recommendations to address these.
The President said authorities will endorse these recommendations to the next administration. (PIA V Release)
IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY,
FOCUS OF PGMA'S REMAINING MONTHS IN OFFICE

MANILA (March 15) — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said that she will focus on the improvement of education and technology in her remaining months in office.

The President made the statement during her visit at the Monreal National High School in Masbate where she recently viewed a computer laboratory interconnected to the internet under her the Education for All program.

"Ang edukasyon at teknolohiya ang dalawang pundasyon na mas magandang kinabukasan para sa bansa. Dahil dito'y inaalay natin ang mga huling buwan ng panunungkulan sa pagtaguyod ng mas matatag at dekalidad na edukasyon at mas mabuting imprastraktura ng teknolohiya (Education and technology are the foundations of a bright future of our country. I will devote the remaining months of my administration to bring to our people, especially the youth, quality education and technology),” President Arroyo told to the 2,000 students and parents gathered during the said occasion.

The President also called on the students to value education and modern technology and use these as instruments for self-advancement and for the development of the country.

Education is the foundation of opportunity, President Arroyo said. This is the key towards better life. It opens the mind and opens new doors towards advancement. Nowadays, education must be joined by a stronger technological backbone, the President added.

The Masbate visit is part of President Arroyo's education legacy agenda that seeks to align Philippine education towards a knowledge-based economy.

It is also part of her education, health and welfare sorties. (PIA V Release)

SILSILAH DIALOGUE MOVEMENT WELCOMES
HOLDING OF SNAMMM IN RP

MANILA (March 15) — The Silsilah Dialogue Movement (SDM), which promotes dialogue and peace among Muslims and Christians here in Mindanao, welcomes the holding of the three-day Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting (SNAMMM) on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development in Manila.
The SNAMMM is slated on March 16 to 18 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
Foreign delegates from 105 countries are expected to take part in the international conference highlighting the Philippines' leading role in interfaith dialogue worldwide.
“This gathering (SNAMMM) is a sign of hope for the world and for us in the Philippines. It is an acknowledgment of the importance of interfaith dialogue for the future peace and development in the world,” the SDM said in a statement.
“It is a great occasion to find in the faith experience of different faith groups the right direction to work together for the common good,” it added.
The SDM, however, believes that the SNAMMM has to be vigilant to overcome the temptation by some sectors of society in many countries which use religions and faiths as a new form of “colonization” in the world, where the “alignment” and association with a specific religion in these areas of the world may cause the spread of fear and perpetuate forms of violence.
The SDM, a non-profit and a non-sectarian group which believes that through dialogue genuine peace could be achieved, is a member of the Inter-Faith Dialogue Forum (IFDF) that is dedicated to exploring possibilities of peace and development based on the concept of love of God and love of neighbor.
The SDM said this element of love is well expressed in the recent open letter to the Christian leaders of the world from 138 respected Muslim scholars of 42 countries and reaffirms that dialogue is a form of love that needs to be rediscovered not only by Muslims and Christians but also by all religions.
“We believe that inter-faith dialogue is basically a spiritual experience based on the faith of all of us who claim to belong to a specific religion and it is a concept valid also for those who claim not to belong to any religion, but move with sincere desire to work for the common good,” the SDM said.
“A real inter-faith dialogue starts from a genuine understanding of faith expressed in life in a form of spirituality or style of life consistent with the faith that one believes in,” the SDM added, citing there is no “secular” concept of inter-faith dialogue.
Guided by this understanding of Inter-Faith Dialogue, the members of the IFDF hope the SNAMMM will take into consideration and find the proper channel to implement five issues of concerns.
These are: 1. The SNAMMM countries are urged to secure freedom of religion, convinced that each culture can benefit from any expression of religion that offers a sincere contribution for the common good in society. In this connection, the NAM countries have to be vigilant against any form of violence and “imposition” of religious practices and culture elements that are against the common principles of Human Rights.
2. The SNAMMM countries are invited to give special attention to education on Inter-Faith Dialogue as an important element for peace and development, encouraging different sectors of society to harmonize theory and praxis of inter-faith dialogue based on sincerity, sensitivity and solidarity.
3. The SNAMMM countries know the importance of media and they hope that the media will project positive messages that encourage inter-faith dialogue in a way that will give proper space to all, especially those who work for better relations between majority and minority faith groups present in the different SNAMMM countries.
4. The SNAMMM countries are invited to deeply evaluate the many types of violence arising from different conflicts and study new approaches on non-violence in order to preserve just peace in their countries, so that a government does not pursue peace only with “liberation fronts” or other groups who claim their rights with violence but also give attention to civil society, encouraging them to express their claims with peaceful means.
5. The SNAMMM countries are invited to develop other peaceful and creative pro-active approaches, giving proper attention to the voice of the poor and the indigenous people who claim their ancestral lands; respect for minority; and vigilance over some politicians and other sectors whose vision of life is very far from the real meaning of the inter-faith dialogue for peace and development.
“We know that the world situation is tested with many issues often bigger than the power of any one country to solve, issues like global warming and other world issues difficult to find solutions for. But we believe that we can find a way to the solution and the SNAMMM meeting is part of this positive effort that we hope will help many to overcome fear and division,” the SDM said.
“This is possible if we deepen the importance of inter-faith dialogue, free from vested interest, but guided by a proper understanding of the centrality of God in the world and our mission to help each other in our common desire to work together for peace and development,” the SDM added. (PIA V Release)
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER PRIMITIVE ORGANISM
TO HELP WITH DISEASE RESEARCH
LOS ANGELES (March 15) — A newly discovered primitive organism can be used in medical research in battling Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease, said a report released on Saturday.
The organism, called Hydra, is a microscopic animal that lives in freshwater and each organism has 24,000 genes, roughly as many genes as a human, the University of California in Irvine said in a news release.
The small creatures have genes similar to the particular human genes that mutate to cause Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease. It makes the Hydra an easy and inexpensive lab animal for genetic research, which may bring major breakthroughs for the dread illnesses, the release said.
"While Hydra doesn't have a brain, it does have a nervous system," said Rob Steele, chairman of biological chemisty at the university.
"So it might be interesting and informative to see what would happen" if the mutated human disease-causing versions of human genes were spliced into the small creatures, he said.
"I think Hydra's simplicity and ease of experimental manipulation make it an attractive system for exploring the basic mechanisms of biological processes that are relevant to human disease," Steele said, "And Hydra is really cheap to use as a lab animal."
The research was conducted by an international team led by Steele, said the release.
Huntington's disease is a disorder passed down through families in which certain nerve cells in the brain waste away, or degenerate.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and fatal brain disease that destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. (PNA/Xinhua/PIA)