Cam Sur towns remain flooded as Juaning leaves

by Lizel S. Macatangay

BATO, Camarines Sur, Aug. 3 (PIA) -- While Typhoon Juaning has already inched its way out of the country a week ago, the floodwater it has poured over this municipality and in the adjoining towns in the province remained, leaving some schools and houses still drenched and submerged under floodwater.

Of the Rinconada tows, the lakeside town of Bato was also one of the hardest hit by the flooding.

Bato Mayor Jeanette OR Bernaldez has already raised an appeal to various government agencies to offer any assistance to their town as most of her barangays continued to suffer from excessive floodwater, not to mention the infestation of water hyacinth that is hampering the flow of water out of the lake.

More than 40,000 of her constituents are now dependent on relief goods and supplies coming from the local government unit. Bernaldez said that their immediate needs consist of plywoods and other housing materials, foods, medicine and a safe supply of water since their water supply were among the structures destroyed by the rummaging floodwater.

Three of the casualties came from the said municipality. Niño Mora- 29 years old, Jemel Dangcalan- 14 years old and Domingo Lomitao – 45 years old all from Barangay Buluang and San Juan of Bato respectively, perished on the height of the typhoon after drowning. According to the record of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC), of the 9 barangays in Bato severely affected by the flooding, 1,443 individuals or a total of 407 families evacuated.

Aside from Bato, one of the affected municipalities is the town of Bula. Its main center of commerce is still flooded as of press time, forcing some local business stalls to temporarily close down. Classes are still suspended due to the knee-deep water that refuses to subside. In order not to disrupt the usual business transactions inside the municipality, employees are temporarily working in the covered court to respond to various queries of their constituents.

In Nabua, some sitios, particularly in Barangay San Vicente are still underwater. This is also true in the municipalities of Milaor , Gainza, Camaligan, San Fernando and Minalabac which are shouldering the brunt of being the catch basins of the remaining waters coming from the province of Albay.

Meanwhile, more than P7million worth of damages has already been recorded affecting the fishery sector. Mr. Santi Noblefranca, BFAR Provincial Officer here in Camarines Sur said that most of these destructions were noted on fish cages, baklad, fish shelters and fishnets. Some of the fishes in Lake Buhi were also found dead which the experts attributed to the production of excessive sulfur in their habitat. (LSM, PIA Camarines Sur)

College studes join disaster management, climate change symposium

by Rosalita Base-Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, Aug. 3 (PIA) -- More than 500 college students from public and private schools here participated F riday (July 29)in the symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR/CCA) culminating the National Disaster Consciousness Month last July .

Dr. Maria Victoria O. Espaldon, dean of School of Environmental Science and Management of the University of the Philippines based in Los Banos, Laguna, discussed the global climate change, Philippine climate change scenarios, Climate Change impacts in crop production and the challenge to the agricultural/educational sector.

Espaldon explained that climate change refers to the change in climate in the mean and or variability of its properties that persists for an extended period typically decades or longer.

She added that the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to human activities are making the blanket “thicker”, thus enhancing greenhouse effect.

Some of the infrared radiation, she furthed, passes through the atmosphere but most is absorbed and re-emitted in all directions by greenhouse gas, molecules and clouds. The effect of this is to warm the Earth surface and the lower atmosphere.

She cited that greenhouse gas sources include: energy supply by 25.9%, industry 19.4%, forestry 17.4%, agriculture 13.5%, transport 13.1%, residential and commercial buildings 7.9%, waste and waste water 2.8%.

She further explained that the Philippines is one of the most disaster prone areas in the world wherein typhoons average 20 per year and 5-7 are destructive, volcanic eruptions where 22 out of 220 volcanous are active, droughts, floods and other natural calamities also occurs.

The Philippines ranks 8th of the World Banks Natural Disaster Hotspot list of countries most exposed to multiple hazard and this was exacerbated by climate change, she said.

Espaldon said that three general responses to climate change : doing nothing or business as usual, mitigation - to decrease greenhouse gas emission and adaptation - aggressive yet systematic information, education and communication campaign about climate change, climate variability and risk.

She also discussed what the individuals can do and urged the participants to contribute in the the following strategies: protect and conserve forests and plant more trees, drive less, produce less waste, use compact fluorescent lamp, switch-off all lights and other appliances not in use, replace appliances with more efficient one, patronize local products and eat seasonal fruits and delaying marriage or having children at a latter stage. (MAL/RBM/PIA Camarines Norte)

Juaning leaves 6 dead, P31M damages

VIRAC, Catanduanes, Aug. 3 (PIA)-- Tropical storm "Juaning" that passed by the province last week caused six fatalities and damages to infrastructure and agriculture amounting P31 million.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said that four persons are still missing due to typhoon Juaning.

Juaning brought heavy rains which submerged parts of the Virac poblacion and caused rivers to overflow.

According to PAGASA, Juaning dumped a total of 473 millimeters of rain on the capital town alone, equivalent to three months worth of rain. The storm also poured 111 mm of rain all over the province from 11 a.m. to 12 nn of July 26.

The heavy downpour also caused heavy landslides along the national highways and washed out spillways and embankments in 12 areas.

The flooding also affected 643 hectares of rice fields, wherein 99 have no chances of recovery. (EAB, PIA Catanduanes)

BFAR declares “Payao” closure period from July to September

LEGAZPI CITY, Aug. 3 (PIA/BFAR) -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has advised that purse seine and ring net catcher vessels are not allowed to conduct fishing operation using Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) or locally known as “Payao” during the months of July to September 2011 if not authorized or accredited by the agency.

BFAR in Bicol said that the FAD closure period is pursuant to Fisheries Administrative Order No. 236, series of 2010 otherwise known as the “Rules and regulations on the Operations of Purse Seine and Ring Net Vessels Using Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) during the FAD closure period as compatible measures to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) approved Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) 2008-01.”

There are Philippine flagged vessels that fish in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using FADs and target skip jack and small pelagic fishes which also catch an insignificant volume of bigeye tuna. The purpose of this fisheries order is to reduce the by-catch or fishing mortality of bigeye tuna.

This order shall apply to all duly registered and licensed Philippine flagged commercial purse seine and ring net catcher vessels that conduct FAD fishing in the Philippine EEZ during the period July 1 to September 30 of 2010 and 2011.

If any owner wishes to conduct fishing operation using payao during the FAD closure period, they should subject their purse seine or ring net vessel to the conditions set forth in FAO 236 such as accreditation of their fishing vessel/s and provision of monitors or observers on board the vessel during closure period.

Accreditation shall involve inspection or measurement of fishing nets to ensure that depth of the net shall not exceed 115 fathoms and marking of fishing gears which must be done jointly by BFAR Central and Regional Offices technical personnel.

To ensure effective implementation of this measure, patrol vessels are deployed in all waters within the Philippine EEZ; no clearance or despacho will be issued to unauthorized purse seine and ring net vessels during this period; and BFAR-NSAP personnel will observe unloading of catch from purse seine and ring net vessels in public/private fish ports where they are assigned.

Non-compliance to any of the above provisions shall be a ground for suspension of fishing operations during the time period, or cancellation/revocation of the Commercial Fishing Vessel/Gear License (CFVGL). (MAL/RCAnabe, BFAR V)

Mental Health Clinic set

VIRAC, Catanduanes, Aug. 3 (PIA)-- The Department of Health Regional Office and a team from the National Center for Mental Health will conduct a mental health clinic on August 8-12, 2011 in the 11 towns of the province.

The mental health clinic aims to follow-up patients that the said team had seen during its first visit last May 2-5.

Rural health units have been directed to request constituents with mental health problems to attend the clinics to be held on the following dates: August 8- Bato and San Miguel; August 9- Pandan and San Andres; August 10- Caramoran and Viga; August 11- Viga, Panganiban and Baras and Augsut 12- Bagamanoc and Gigmoto.

The mission last May has only catered to 134 of the 277 persons surveyed to be suffering from some form of mental illness suc as schizophrenia, seizure psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, severe psychosis, acute psychosis, delusion and mild autism.

The mental health mission is an offshoot of Governor Joseph Cua's request to DOH Usec. Dave Lozada Jr. to send a visiting psychiatrist to the province.

Aside from the clinic, a five-day training for the local doctors on the handling of psychotic cases in the province will be held. (EAB, PIA Catanduanes)