ALBAY ENFORCES STRICT COMPLIANCE OF NO SAILING DURING TYPHOON SIGNAL NO.1

LEGAZPI CITY — Albay Governor Joey Salceda has ordered all barangay officials in all coastal areas across the province to strictly enforce the “No Sailing to Sea Policy” when the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raises storm signal No. 1 over the province.

“The policy of the provincial government is to maintain the “zero casualty” goal in times of disaster,” Salceda said.

Salceda specifically has issued the directive to barangay officials in the west and east coasts to strictly implement this policy in their respective jurisdictions.

The governor has also instructed the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) stations in the province to strictly enforce this long-standing Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) guidance to passenger boats and fishing vessels in all the ports and coastal barangays in Albay.

In addition, the PCG and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are instructed to put in place a communications protocol that would relay PCG “back to shore” directive via text through barangay councils to fishing and passenger boats already at sea when the warning is issued and allow barangay councils to report to PCG or to the PNP on such fishing boats already at sea when the PAGASA warning is issued.

Meanwhile, PDCC has commended the PCG for its exemplary performance of its SOLAS (safety-of-life-at-sea) mandate in Albay during Typhoon Basyang where the province recorded no casualties-at-sea, no injured and no missing persons.

“A clear proof of implementation of this standing policy is the immediate media reports of stranded passengers and vehicles at the Port of Tabaco and Legazpi cities,” Salceda said. (PNA Bicol)

BOC IN BICOL SURPASSES ANEW COLLECTION TARGET IN 1ST SEM

LEGAZPI CITY — The Bureau of Custom (BOC) in Bicol has maintained for the past four and a half years the uptrend in the collection performance following the impressive accomplishment anew for the first semester target this year by P2.39 million or 5.74 percent.

Atty. Titus Sangil told PIA News Service that for the January – June 2010 collection performance, BOC Bicol has posted an actual cash collection of some P44.08 million exceeding by some P2.39 million or 5.74 percent of the P41.69 million target for the six month period.

Sangil added that the National Food Authority (NFA) in Bicol has still deferred payments for January up to June this year amounting to P1.97 billion on its rice importations allocated for the region. Last year, NFA’s deferred duties amounted to some P1.34 billion.

In the same period of 2009, BOC Bicol collected some P33.42 million surpassing by P5.92 million or 21.53 percent the P27.50 million target.

In other reports obtained from BOC Bicol, the district office under the headship of Sangil had surpassed and maintained the uptrend from 2006 up to 2009 the collection performance in the region.

In 2006, the district office surpass the collection target of P17.04 million by 0.44 percent (P75,0367) for an actual cash collection of P17.11 million.

For 2007, the collection performance reflected an increase of 55.4 percent (P13.15 million) on the goal of P23.72 million for a total of P36.87 million.

The district office was also able to maintain an impressive performance in 2008 with 45.7 percent increase in collection amounting to P18.31 million from the collection goal of P40.0 million by posting a P58.31 million actual cash collection for the said year. (MALoterte, PIA V)

7 FISHERMEN FOUND ALIVE BY RESCUERS IN BICOL

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur — Government soldiers who were sent to conduct search and rescue operations have found over the weekend the 7 missing fishermen in two separate locations.

Soldiers who were sent on an air rescue operations in Camarines Sur have safely transported 3 survivors who were rescued by their fellow fishermen in the open seas off Butauanan island in Siruma, Camarines Sur.

Colonel Guillermo Molina, commander of the Tactical Operations Group of the Philippine Air Force, said that his unit provided three rescue helicopters to assist in the search and retrieval operations.

Molina identified the three survivors as Brandy Encontro, Victor Bordeos and April Orbe, all residents of Calero village in Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte.

“We were part of the 11-crew fishing boat which left Jose Panganiban town last Sunday. Our boat capsized and torn to half during the height of the storm last Tuesday (July 13),” said Victor Bordeos.

In Catanduanes, combined rescue teams have found the 4 missing persons from Gigmoto town.

Brigadier General Marlou Salazar, commander of the 901st Brigade named the survivors as Antonio Tayoto, 40, Marlon Tayoto, 35, Alex Azicate, 30 and Jason Arcilla, 18.

Salazar said that the four were recovered from Tabugoc village in Pandan town.

The 9ID’s Public Affairs Office has also tallied 8 dead people as victims of typhoon “Basyang” after the recovery of the cadaver of Rodolfo Braga Jr in Paracale town in Camarines Norte.

Combined AFP rescue teams, utilizing three helicopters and a Philippine Navy aircraft, have combed the high seas of Catanduanes, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur to find the remaining missing people.

At least 43 people from the three aforementioned provinces have remained unaccounted as of today.

Eight of the newly declared missing persons are the companions of the three newly rescued survivors in Butauanan island. (HMCabunoc, DPAO 9ID PA/PIA)

BASYANG DEATH TOLL IN BICOL RISES TO 17 WITH 32 STILL MISSING

LEGAZPI CITY — The death toll in Bicol due to typhoon Basyang has risen to 17 while 32 are still missing, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the region said Monday.

At least 83 people have been rescued even as search and recovery operations continue for over a week now after "Basyang" battered Bicol.

OCD report said elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are continuously conducting search and recovery operations using air, sea and land assets in Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Catanduanes.

The same report indicated that AFP elements were able to rescue 83 people, many of them from Jose Panganiban town in Camarines Norte and some from Albay.

The OCD report also said recovered were 17 bodies - eight in Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte; five in Vinzons, Camarines Norte; one in Paracale, Camarines Norte; one in Caramoan, Camarines Sur and two others from an unidentified area.

Most of the casualties were fishermen swept by giant waves spawned by typhoon Basyang when it passed the Bicol Region, the report said.

Raffy Alejandro, OCD director, said they have dispatched an Air force helicopter, Philippine Navy Islander plane, and sea vessels as well as Philippine Army trucks and Philippine Coast Guard sea assets to undertake rescue and recovery operations.

The list of people still missing includes 11 in Bagamanoc, Catanduanes; six in Caramoan, Camarines Sur; four in Lagonoy, Camarines Sur; two in Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte; three in Mangcawayan, Camarines Norte; five in Pinagtigasan, Camarines Norte; and one in Banocboc, Camarines Norte. (PNA Bicol)

800 TREES PLANTED BY ARMY SOLDIERS IN ISAROG WATERSHED

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur – Army soldiers ascended the slopes of Mt Isarog to plant trees in its watershed yesterday, a military official said.

Lt. Col. Erwin De Asis, the Civil-Military Operations Officer of the 9th Infantry Division of Philippine Army, said that at least 100 soldiers participated in the tree-planting activity which was also attended by representatives from CENRO-Camarines Sur, villagers and NGOs.

“We planted at least 800 trees as part of the Army’s efforts in environmental protection. This is also done in observance of the National Disaster Consciousness Month,” De Asis added.

Located about 5kms from Camp Elias Angeles of the Philippine Army, Mt Isarog is the main watershed for Naga City and Pili town.

Several NGOs and government agencies had been exerting efforts to protect this 10,000 hectare watershed which has a rich diversity of flora and fauna.

Considered by volcanologists as an inactive volcano, it rises in the heart of Camarines Sur. It is also the highest forested peak in Southern Luzon.

The lush forests of Mt. Isarog also serve as the site for the Army’s jungle and mountain operations training every year. (HMCabunoc, DPAO 9ID PA/PIA)

DA PROVIDING CATANDUANES FISHERS STATE-OF-THE- ART FREEZER
By Danny O. Calleja

BATO, Catanduanes — A fisher folk organization in this fourth class fishing town will be recipient of a high-tech multi-function freezer worth about P4.6 million from the Department of Agriculture (DA) as part of the government’s efforts to provide farmers and fishermen access to modern postharvest facilities that will significantly boost their income.

To be provided by the DA’s National Agribusiness Corporation (Nabcor), the machine is a mobile type freezer that could instantly freeze fish, meat, fruits and vegetables and preserve their freshness for as long as three days without ice.

Nabcor president Alan Javellana said here over the weekend the freezer that would occupy only about six square meters of land area uses the revolutionary brine immersion freezing (BIF) technology.

It will be installed this month and awarded to the Batalay Fisherfolks Association (BaFiA), a 400-strong group recognized by the DA as a People’s Organization (PO) committed towards the protection of the local marine resources and the promotion of the welfare of marginal fishermen in the locality, Javellana said.

The use of the machine, he said, would be demonstrated to the public including members of the BaFiA to orient them on its operations and show them how it instantly freezes and preserves fish, fruits, meat and non-leafy vegetables such as okra, kalabasa and string beans without the need for ice.

Javellana said this state-of-the-art freezer is among the 98 multi-functional machines using the BIF technology acquired by the DA from the Integrated Refrigeration System and Services Inc. (IRSSI) to be distributed to selected recipients.

“This would provide access to storage at lesser cost for farmers and fishermen of their products in order to boost their income,” he said.

Storage of fish or meat using the BIF freezers in fact could be extended up to six months or a year without affecting its quality and taste when another technology called “LQF” is applied, Javellana said.

He explained that the technology is patterned from the American and Japanese BIF quick freeze system which was improved by IRSSI and endorsed by Filipino inventor Dr. Hernando Decena to make it operate at a much lower operating temperature as much as minus 40 degrees Celsius.

IRSSI also made the machine more compact, more-cost effective, user-friendly and multi-functional.
The BIF is a "revolutionary method" in preserving aquatic products, meat, fruits and vegetables using super-conductive solution as secondary refrigerant which Decena developed, Javellana said.

He explained that BIF allows instant freezing, which, as a result, eliminates crystallization, thus preserving the freshness, flavor and texture of the frozen product.

"A superb feature of this technology is that the quality of the BIF-frozen fish stays the same after two to three days, so that it tastes as fresh or as good as newly caught fish when grilled or cooked any other way," he said.

Under the old conventional handling method, Javellana said that "we need to put ice to preserve fish and other perishable food items which leads to crystallization that alters the quality and freshness of the frozen product. Hence, the marked difference in the texture and taste of newly caught fish from those that had been stored in the freezer or in ice-packed Styrofoam boxes."

Moreover, it takes as little as three to 30 minutes, depending on type, size and volume of product to be process, to freeze a product using BIF, compared to the conventional method, which takes three to four hours to freeze a product using the air blast system, he said.

Another advantage of this technology is its mobility and easy plug-in feature.
"A BIF compartment, which has a wheeled stand, making it easy to transport and move around and plug into any available electrical outlet," Javellana said.

The old-type blast freezer or holding freezer on the other hand needs to be permanently put in place and requires large installation works and a massive separate electrical supply, he added. (PNA Bicol)

PALACE DENIES INTERFERING IN TRILLANES CASE

MANILA — President Benigno S. Aquino III categorically denied allegations that he was interfering in the court case involving alleged coup d’ etat leader Senator Antonio Trillanes III.

“No,” was the President’s emphatic reply when asked Monday (July 19) by media in Malacanang if he was interfering in the Trillanes case pending before the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC).

“Senator Trillanes is not the only one who is in the similar situation. Ang sinasabi ko lang po dito, and I am inviting those concerned, to have a review of the Revised Penal Code because it seems that the fiscal that evaluated the case would not have forwarded the charge proper kasi nga the elements necessary to constitute the crime were not existing in the Oakwood case.”

The President said that the request for the review of the case was for the DOJ to come up with an opinion. But he said it would be up to the discretion of the court to act on the petition for review.

The President said that “we did not even forward an opinion as to what should be done because we left it to up to the wisdom of the court.”

Earlier today, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the remarks of President Aquino on the Trillanes criminal case cannot in any way be considered a form of interference in judicial process.

Lacierda clarified that the essence of what the President was saying at length on the Trillanes case was that he (the President) was leaving the case to full discretion of the court.

According to Lacierda the last word and opinion of President Aquino was “to leave the case to the wisdom of the court, based on the evidences that have been gathered.”

Lacierda added it was very prudent of the President not to intrude into the court case.

“The independence of the judiciary will be maintained, we are saying this to the judiciary, to (RTC) Judge Pimentel, that we respect your independence,” added Lacierda.

Lacierda recalled that the statement of the President was for the Secretary of Justice to look into the status of the case. The Department of Justice is under the Executive Department.

He said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima will soon brief the President on the status of the case.

Lacierda also dismissed as totally irrelevant insinuations that the President’s comments were for the purpose of making leverage for the Liberal Party in the coming selection of the Senate President. He said Senator Trillanes has on his own posted bail in the hopes he will be released.

The detained Senator, a former Navy lieutenant, filed a petition before the sala of Makati RTC Judge Oscar Pimentel, who is handling the case, to be allowed to attend the opening of the Senate’s regular session on July 26 and meet his staff at the Senate on the same date.

The coup d’etat case against Trillanes and the other junior officers of the military belonging to the Magdalo group stemmed from their takeover of the Oakwood Premiere Hotel in July, 2003. (PIA V Release)

GOV'T STUDYING FOREIGN, LOCAL OFFERS TO SOLVE WATER SHORTAGE

MANILA — President Benigno S. Aquino III said Monday (July 19) that concerned government agencies are currently evaluating proposals from local and foreign investors interested in the local water supply sector with an eye on possible solutions to the recurrent supply shortage.

“There are several proposals from local and foreign investors who are willing to answer the water needs of all sectors but we are still awaiting the recommendations of the different agencies,” the President told members of the Malacanang Press Corps after administering the oath of office to some undersecretaries and other executives of agencies under the Department of Transportation and Communications DOTC, as well as the new set of officers of the League of Cities of the Philippines at the Palace’s Rizal Hall.

The Chief Executive also said that pertinent regulatory bodies were also looking into the water situation in the country, notably in Metro Manila, amid reports that the water level of Angat Dam has been below critical levels.

Angat Dam’s water level reportedly continued to decline in the aftermath of the El Nino weather phenomenon, hitting 157.59 meters on Sunday—way below its operational level of 180 meters, The reservoir provides 97 percent of Metro Manila’s water requirement.

Maynilad Water Services, one of two utility firms supplying water to the metropolis, said in an advisory that it will be compelled to cut its supply this month by 30 percent. (PIA V Release)

PALACE ASSURES SUSTAINED PUBLIC SERVICE IN HEADLESS AGENCIES

MANILA — Malacanang assured government's continuing service even if President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III hasn't yet designated full-time heads of several agencies.

"We have enough number of civil servants in these agencies so public service isn't disrupted," said communications group official Herminio "Sonny" Coloma.

His assurance came as President Aquino's camp continues searching for possible appointees to agencies concerned.

Coloma acknowledged such search is no mean feat.

"There are many posts to fill up," he said.

He reiterated Malacanang's earlier stand about taking time to search for presidential appointees, noting this aims to identify people most qualified to serve in the administration.

"Backgrounds of potential appointees must be examined carefully," he said.

Earlier, Malacanang said President Aquino's camp is conducting a fair search of people who'll serve in his government.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said this search covers people who helped push President Aquino's 2010 election campaign as well as others who didn't but have the integrity and capability to serve in his administration.

The search is extensive since "we don't have a monopoly on talent and integrity," he said.

He noted both traits are the primary qualifications the search committee is looking for among possible presidential appointees. (PIA V Release)

P-NOY BARES GOVERNANCE AGENDA ON MAIDEN SONA

MANILA — President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III will discuss during his maiden State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 26 this year the administration's 2010-2016 governance agenda.

"He'll be reporting to us his platform and measures for people," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Monday during a Palace briefing.

Malacanang believes including such in the SONA will help people better understand the direction President Aquino's administration will be taking the country in the next six years.

Lacierda said the President's SONA will also bare what the previous administration left behind.
"This SONA will spell out the nation's true state," he said.

It's still unclear if President Aquino's governance agenda will be summarized in an acronym like his predecessor's development blueprint was, however.

Targets in former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's development blueprint were summarized as BEAT THE ODDS.

These targets are B-balancing the budget, E-education for all, A-automated elections, T-transportation and communication infrastructure, T-terminate hostilities with Moro Islamic Liberation Front and New People's Army, H-heal the wounds of EDSA, E-electricity and water for all, O-opportunities for livelihood and jobs, D-decentralizing development and DS-developing Clark and Subic.

Lacierda reported officials concerned will discuss this Tuesday contents of the forthcoming SONA speech.

These officials set this meeting as the speech is being drafted already, he said.

He noted inputs for this speech are becoming increasingly available since Cabinet secretaries already furnished Malacanang with reports on state of affairs in respective agencies.

Presidential Management Staff is compiling these reports, he continued. (PIA V Release)

PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION GROUP AWAITS P-NOY'S NOD

MANILA — The executive order that would formally create the Presidential Communications Group has been finalized, a Palace official said Monday.

"The EO has been finalized. We're just waiting for the signature of the President," Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing.

After several postponements of the EO's release and announcement of the group's composition last week, Lacierda said he hopes that it would be released this week.

The EO has been forwarded to the Office of the President and now being studied and reviewed.

"Hopefully, we'll have it signed today but we don't know yet. Maraming trabaho si Presidente ngayon (The President has plenty of works now)," Lacierda said.

The group will likely review programs on state-run television and radio stations for better communication of government policies.

It is also preparing the government’s feedback mechanism via Twitter, Facebook, and other communication tools. (PIA V Release)

JBC STARTS SCREENING ASPIRANTS FOR VACANT SC JUSTICE POST

MANILA — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) started on Monday morning its screening of the nominees for the vacant position in the Supreme Court (SC).

The JBC is an independent constitutional body created under the supervision of the Supreme Court with the principal function of recommending appointees to the Judiciary.

It screens applicants and submits its shortlist of nominees of at least three to four names to the Office of the President (OP) whenever a vacancy occurs in the country's courts.

In turn, the President has a period of 90 days within which to make an appointment to fill up such vacancy.

Once the shortlist of nominees is submitted to President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, he will choose his first appointee to the highest court of the land.

The vacancy in the 15-member SC was brought about by the appointment on May 17, 2010 of then Associate Justice Renato Corona as the Philippines' 23rd Chief Magistrate.

As ex-officio chair of the JBC, Chief Justice Corona presides over the screening of the candidates for the position in the Judiciary.

The first aspirants to be interviewed Monday morning by the members of the JBC are Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Hakim Abdulwahid, Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) Presiding Justice Ernesto Acosta and CTA Associate Justice Lovell Bautista.

In the afternoon, it will be the turn of CA Associate Justices Perlas Bernabe and Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo to be interviewed by the JBC. (PIA V Release)