Massive clean-up, dismantling of fish cages on stream to save Buhi Lake

by Lizel S. Macatangay

BUHI, Camarines Sur, July 20 (PIA) -- Resolute in its campaign to put an end to the vicious re-occurrence of fish kills in Buhi Lake, the municipal government here has already started tearing off a number of fish cages in various delineated areas since early this month.

A composite team, comprised of personnel of the municipal government, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) regional field office, Maritime police, Philippine Coast Guard, local police office here, National Council for the Indigenous People (NCIP), Tanggol Kalikasan, Rotary Club of Buhi and Buhi Rescue Team, cleared the fish sanctuaries, primary and secondary navigational lanes and buffer zones of the said fish structures.

Declared areas already cleared were the fish sanctuary and fishery reserve at Barangays San Buena-Sta. Cruz areas and the navigational lane and buffer zones from Poblacion to Barangay Iraya, buffer zones and secondary navigational lanes at Barangays Ipil, Cabanatuan , Tambo and Ibayugan including the tourism area at Sta. Clara – Sitio San Benito.

Beethoven Nachor, municipal administator in this town, personally led every dismantling operation noting that the unprecedented move of the local government is an effort to save Lake Buhi from its apparent death.

He said that if toxic residues will not be stopped from building up at the bottom of the lake, the lake will eventually perish.

“We wish to bring back the old glory that was once attributed to the majestic Buhi Lake, and we will not realize this vision if we are not going to do something. Our move might be drastic or an excessive action for others, but we will ensure that it will be beneficial to a lot of our people.”

Starting off this year, Buhi Mayor Rey Lacoste has already initiated various endeavors leading to the realization of this vision, including the re-organizational meeting of BFAR Municipal Council covering the ten (10) barangays surrounding the lake

Regular dialogues are also on stream between BFAR and the LGU officers regarding the proposed ordinance declaring a moratorium on the use of feeds in fish cages located in Lakes Buhi, Katugday, Manapao and Rinaga River, among others.

After a series of consultation and polishing, the Save Lake Buhi now Project was born.

Four major local Executive Orders emanated out of this undertaking - the creation of the LGU-Buhi Save Lake Buhi NOW Technical Working group, the creation of the Inter-Agency Save Lake Buhi NOW Task Force, prohibition of the installation of new fish cages and other structures for aquaculture and an executive order prohibiting the re-stocking of telapia and other fish species intended for aquaculture and providing guidelines for its implementation.

Nachor said that they have already consulted the constituents of the six (6) barangays surrounding the Lake Buhi and they have been receiving positive feed backs except from some commercial fish cage operators who will be definitely affected by the on-going demolition.

The municipal government has to dismantle more than 13,000 fish cages occupying as much as 70% of the 1,600-hectare lake to allow the river to come back to life and be home again to various organisms such as the world’s smallest fish sinarapan, irin irin, dalag, puyo, burirawan and native catfish among others. (MAL/LSM, PIA Camarines Sur)

Power firm to spearhead National Greening Program in Sorsogon

by Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY,July 20 (PIA) -- Forging manpower and resources for a Green Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Energy Development Corporation (EDC) will spearhead the call of government for a National Greening Program (NGP).

Anchored on the environmental greening landmark project of EDC, BINHI, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and EDC Chairman Emeritus (CE) Oscar Lopez signed a Memorandum of of Agreement (MOA) last May 11, 2011 to seal the national greening program of the country under the Public- Private Partnership (PPP) component strategy of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.

Engr. Leo Zancho A. Mago,Senior Superintendent of EDC- Environmental Management Department (EMD), said that the company has always been motivated and inspired by our top management to be creative and innovative in the care of our environment.

EDC has been the recipient of this year's DENR V Saringaya Special Award 2011 in the implementation of a sustainable green environment of the 250,000-hectare reservation area of the EDC-Bacman.

Under the auspices of the BINHI program, Mago said that the EDC through DENR V will implement a systematic , meaningful and sustainable reforestation program in support of the NGP of the national government..

"The EDC environmental reforestation project here in the province of Sorsogon within our area has been well- implemented . We have even value-added it with tourism attractions like the presence of our Butterfly Garden, the development of our Wildlife Conservation Area , the presence and conservation of the Bac-Man Bat Sanctuary and presence of the natural ecotourism sites now conserved and provided accessibility," Mago said.

"Here at the EDC-Bacman with the DENR V initiated program, we will also be planting and reforesting our areas with endemic fruit trees like the Baligang and Gumihan, two of the several kinds of trees that will fall under the BINHI -Tree for Food Program", he said.

The BINHI program has been implemented by EDC in all their geothermal power plant sites all over the Philippines since 2008.

Meanwhile, Mago said that through their EDC CE, Oscar Lopez, spelled out was the company's Corporate Social Responsibility thrusts to help government alleviate poverty, achieve food security, preserve and enhance biodiversity and address the problems of Climate Change through the implementation of the NGP.

According to Mago, the BINHI program launched four years ago was specifically a goal of their organization to address the concerns on the vanishing premium native trees endemic in each area where the geothermal power plant is located.

Creatively, the enhancement of the BINHI as their banner strategic greening program will also answer several components of a sustainable environment , the provision for food, shelter, recreation ,mitigation and adaptation aside from ensuring the future of the next generation by creating a green community.

The BINHI program as the company's greening strategy have also provided their various communities a learning opportunity to appreciate what they have, educate basic communities within their geothermal site in the care of the environment through planting of trees endemic within the sites.

"Now part of our reforestation program here implemented in Bac-Man is to identify those trees endemic to the area.Seedlings of these endemic trees found here are now being planted in our nursery and will be planted for reforestation of our area and can also be given to local government units needing planting materials for tree parks", he said.

The BINHI program of EDC according to Mago is one of the best reforestation strategy already implemented by their corporation for almost four years now with four basic components: Tree for the Future, Tree for Life,Tree for Food and Tree for Leisure.

"Receiving this year's Saringaya Special Awards 2011 for the care of the environment implemented by our EMD is a commitment of our company to continually partner and support the national government's greening program.

With the four year implementation now of our BINHI program, the company through the BINHI-Tree For the Future and Tree for Leisure program aims to establish tree parks of rare and endemic trees with their collaboration with local government units.

Meanwhile here at EDC-BacMan, the planting of Pili trees (Canarium Ovatum) under the Tree of Life and Tree of Food has been one of the continuing program of the company also to provide livelihood to the basic communities living near the reservation sites according to Mago.

The forged commitment of the company in the NGP of the government according to Mago has been one of the basic goals of the company to attain and sustain water abundance which is the major source for geothermal operations, he said.

Identification of trees within their reservation sites has been already conducted and the nursery plant maintained in all their geothermal sites are propagated with endemic trees so as to ensure the conservation trees present within the natural mountain ecosystems.

The NGP of the government according to Mago will be a commitment of their company in the re-vegetation of open and denuded forest and will also provide sustainable livelihood to farmers living inside geothermal forest reserves. (MAL/IAG, PIA Sorsogon)

Media to tour 4Ps areas in Paracale town

by Rosalita Base-Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, July 20 (PIA) -- To have a full grasp of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a media tour in the town of Paracale on Thursday (July 21) will be conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Bicol regional office.

DSWD V Regional Director Nemia T. Tapispisan said that the media tour will also inform the announcers, reporters and writers on how the 4Ps is being implemented and its impact to the family beneficiaries and the community.

She said that the implementation of the 4Ps in this province is now on its full swing, a poverty reduction strategy of the government that provides cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14 years old.

She explained that through the years, the program has encountered many challenges in the area of communication because it is perceived by some as a “dole out” program and others as political tool due to lack of awareness and knowledge of the program.

Regional Director Tapispisan said that some 2,983 families are beneficiaries of 4Ps in the town of Paracale and some 24,759 in the whole province of Camarines Norte where some 2,130 families has started to received cash grants in 2010 while some 22,629 has started this year.

She said that of the 12 municipalities, family beneficiaries came from the 10 towns including Paracale and others are: Capalonga with 2,559 family beneficiaires; Santa Elena – 3,422; San Lorenzo Ruiz- 865; Mercedes – 3,550; Basud 1,889; Jose Panganiban 3,211; Labo 2,755; San Vicente- 489; and Vinzons 3,036.

She added that every family were given a maximum amount of P1,400 cash grants (depend on the qualified beneficiaries) on the condition that they will participate in the services of health care and education especially for children. (MAL/RBM, PIA Camarines Norte)