DENR, Albay gov’t team up for disaster risk reduction

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 5 (PIA/DENR) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the provincial government of Albay in Bicol region have teamed up to reduce and manage disaster risks in this calamity-prone province.

In simple ceremonies held recently at the DENR office in Quezon City, Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje and Regional Executive Director for Bicol Joselin Marcus Fragada signed a deed donating a confiscated six-wheeler Fuso truck loaded with lumber materials to the 3rd District of Albay.

The donation was accepted by Albay Governor Joey mente Salceda and Albay 3rd District Representative Fernando Gonzales.

The cargo, consisting of about 5,000 board feet of Lauan lumber of different dimensions, are to be used in the repair of damaged property caused by tropical storm Juaning, which hit the area in July of this year.

The truck would also be used by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) for disaster relief, as well as evacuation of families located in identified hazardous areas.

In the same event, both parties also signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the assessment of landslide and flood hazard risks of 18 municipalities in Albay.

The project, dubbed “GIS-based Landslide and Vulnerability Assessment of the Province of Albay”, includes the densification of the province’s geohazard map on a scale of 1:10,000 by the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

“The donation, though small in comparison to the magnitude of disasters that face the province, can immediately help in recovery efforts. Meanwhile, the assessment project will be piloted in Albay as a laboratory of disaster preparedness,” said Paje, who also hails from Albay.

The DENR-MGB has completed the geohazard mapping of all municipalities in the country on a 1:50,000 scale. The Albay project, however, which includes the development of flood and landslide hazard models for the province’s most vulnerable areas, will enable the province to plan for disaster risk reduction down to the barangay level.

The project also covers information dissemination on landslide and flood hazards and the installation of warning systems in highly vulnerable areas.

Salceda expressed gratitude for the donation and the MOA, which he said “respects the dignity of persons… and will reduce risks from climate change and geohazards, especially in our province which experiences a cocktail of disasters.”

The governor also said that the maps will be “used for response and reconstruction,” and that to avoid human casualties, “all evacuation sites will be cleared by the MGB.” (MAL/DENR V)

No Red Tide in Sorsogon Bay

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 5 (PIA) -– The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) assured the public that shellfishes and other marine products from Sorsogon Bay and Juag Lagoon are safe for human consumption now free of paralytic shellfish poisoning or red tide contamination.

BFAR's Shellfish Bulletin No. 18 over the week cited that laboratory testing of water and shellfish samples collected last week from the two fishing grounds that have previous records of red tide yielded negative results, thus marine products harvested from it are safe to eat.

The same bulletin stated that only the Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur; Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Masinloc Bay in Zambales; and Matarinao Bay of Eastern Samar have been found positive of red tide contamination.

With local consumers still reluctant to eat seafood at the expense of shellfish producers, BFAR assured that there is nothing more to fear by now as it has been about five months that no red tide-causing organism has been detected in Sorsogon.

So as not to be overconfident, the bureau called on the consuming public to still be vigilant by properly cleaning marine products from Sorsogon Bay and Juag Lagoon before cooking.

The bureau also assured that BFAR scientists are closely monitoring these areas so that prompt warnings and other precautionary measures would be issued at once.

BFAR also encouraged tahong farmers to continue with the shellfish industry, this time in a regulated manner to prevent overcrowding of farm installations at the Sorsogon Bay in accordance with the regulatory measures being implemented by the local government. (MAL/BFAR V)

Sorsogon reaps 9 major awards in the 2nd Salud Bicolnon Awards 2011

by Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY , Sept. 5 (PIA) -- Sorsogon provincial health workers went home last week proud and elated after the just concluded 2nd Salud Bicolnon Awards 2011 bagging nine major awards for health and the major cash incentive award of P100.000.

Held at the Concourse Hotel, Legaspi City, Sept 1, the 2nd Salud Bicolnon Award distributed trophies and cash incentives to health workers and LGUs for their accomplishment and contribution in the efficient and effective delivery of health programs and projects spearheaded by the Department of Health (DOH).

These programs are being implemented in provincial , district, and municipal hospitals and also in barangay health centers with the local government units supporting health efficiency delivery as part of good governance.

Sorsogon is the sole regional awardee for the Outstanding Interlocal Health Zone (ILHZ) implementer by the cluster of Bulan, Irosin, Matnog, and Sta Magdalena (BIMS) carting the major cash incentive award.

In the category of Mother Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative for two years, it was the Gubat District Hospital and the Sorsogon Medical Mission Group Hospital and Health Service Cooperative that got the regional major award.

Also, six hospitals here in the province were awarded the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding hospital implementers namely : Vicenta Peralta Memorial District Hospital in Castilla, Irosin District Hospital, Pantaleon G. Gotladera Memorial Hospital of the municipality of Bulan, Prieto Diaz Municipal Hospital, Matnog Medicare Community Hospital, and the Dr. Fernando B. Duran Sr Memorial Hospital or the Sorsogon Provincial Hospital.

For the Outstanding Kidney Disease Prevention and Control implementer, Sorsogon Provincial Hospital shared the limelight with two other awardees, the Center for Health Office of Legaspi City and Intervida, a non-governmental organization assisting in renal disease prevention.

Meanwhile, the municipal government of Magallanes was given the Regional Red Orchid Award for the passage of an ordinance on anti-smoking. This award was also given to the city government of Ligao and Guinobatan , Albay.

The Sorsogon Provincial Health Office or the Fernando B. Duran Sr. Memorial Hospital was chosen as the regional best implementer on TB Control Program for Public-Private Mix DOTS together with Center for Health Office, Masbate.

For the award in the Taking the Challenge as Treatment Center for Multiple Drug Resistant TB, the sole awardee was the Sorsogon Medical Mission Group Hospital and Health Service Cooperative.

Sorsogon province also capped the Invaluable Contribution Commitment to the Success of the Measles Rubella Campaign shared with three other awardees, the local government of Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, and Naga.

For the regional Best Performing Barangay Nutrition Barangay Scholar, the Barangay Health Workers of Sta Ana ,Gubat shared the same award with six other awardees.

"We are indeed very happy with the accolade given to the best performing health workers and local government implementers of health services here in our province," Dr. Edgar Garcia expressed during the event.

"We shared this award with former governor Sally A. Lee who inspired us to work better and who has been instrumental in the rehabilitation, provision of additional facilities and equipments provided during her term as governor and now also being well sustained by current governor, Raul R.Lee," Garcia said.

"In fact all local government hospitals have ambulances and the hospital has been enhanced and improved for a better workplace," Garcia added.

Former governor Sally A. Lee said, "In Sorsogon, we are trying to provide the best health service we can afford to the constituency. In behalf of the province of Sorsogon, I congratulate all our health workers here present doing their duty to make the Bicol Region achieve the required standard for health service delivery and doing their share in making health an agenda to serve best."

"To all the awardees, let's not just think of the awards, let us feel proud and good that we are doing this for humanity," Dr. Ferchito L. Avelino, assitant regional director, DOH RO V said as he closed the one day program of the DOH . (MAL/IAG, PIA Sorsogon)

DENR donates confiscated six-wheeler truck, 5,000 bd. ft. of lumber to Albay

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 5 (PIA) -- Albay Gov. Joey Salceda hailed over the weekend the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Bicol for donating a confiscated six-wheeler Fuso truck and its cargo consisting of 5,000 board feet of Lauan lumber to the province for disaster risk reduction management purposes.

In simple ceremonies held recently at the DENR office in Quezon City, Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje and regional executive director for Bicol Joselin Marcus Fragada signed a deed donating a confiscated six-wheeler Fuso truck loaded with lumber materials to the 3rd District of Albay.

The donation was accepted by Salceda and Albay 3rd District Rep. Fernando Gonzales.

The cargo, consisting of about 5,000 board feet of Lauan lumber of different dimensions, are to be used in the repair of damaged property caused by tropical storm 'Juaning', which hit the area in July of this year.

Salceda said the provincial government of Albay had teamed up with the DENR to reduce and manage disaster risks in this calamity-prone province.

Salceda said the truck would be used by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) for disaster relief, as well as evacuation of families located in identified hazardous areas.

In the same event, both parties also signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the assessment of landslide and flood hazard risks of 18 municipalities in Albay.

The project, entitled “GIS-based Landslide and Vulnerability Assessment of the Province of Albay”, includes the densification of the province’s geohazard map on a scale of 1:10,000 by the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

“The donation, though small in comparison to the magnitude of disasters that face the province, can immediately help in recovery efforts. Meanwhile, the assessment project will be piloted in Albay as a laboratory of disaster preparedness,” said Paje, who also hails from Albay.

The DENR-MGB has completed the geohazard mapping of all municipalities in the country on a 1:50,000 scale.

The Albay project, however, which includes the development of flood and landslide hazard models for the province’s most vulnerable areas, will enable the province to plan for disaster risk reduction down to the barangay level.

The project also covers information dissemination on landslide and flood hazards and the installation of warning systems in highly vulnerable areas.

Salceda expressed gratitude for the donation and the MOA, which he said “respects the dignity of persons… and will reduce risks from climate change and geohazards, especially in our province which experiences a cocktail of disasters.”

The provincial chief executive also said that the maps would be used for response and reconstruction and that to avoid human casualties, all evacuation sites would be cleared by the MGB. (MAL/MSA/LGU Albay)

26 police and media people train on info, communication skills

by Rosalita Base-Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, September 5 (PIA) -- Twenty-six police and public information officers from 12 towns here and from the provincial command attended and participated in a one day Philippine National Police (PNP) Media Relations Seminar/Workshop at Camp Wenceslao Q. Vinzons, Barangay Dogongan, Friday.

Police Superintendent Ricardo Condrado Nicodemus Paleracio, MPA, deputy provincial director for Operation/Public Information Officers said that the activity aimed to enhance the police understanding of the media and vice versa.

He also said that the seminar/worshop will help improve their communication skills for better representation of the PNP organization with the citizenry of Camarines Norte.

Meanwhile, Police Superintendednt Jesus C. Martirez, deputy provincial director for Administration said that a chief of police should know the situation of peace and order in their areas of jurisdiction so that they would be adept in dealing with with the media.

The topics discussed during the training/workshop included: Knowing and Understanding Media which was tackled by Information Center manager Rosalita Manlangit of the Philippine Information Agency – Camarines Norte while CAO IV Purita Briñas of the provincial government spoke on basic communication skills like news writing, editing, headline writing, basic editing, and proof reading.

The topic on broadcasting and mechanics of press confrerence were discussed by station manager Ricky Vito of the DWCN-Radyo ng Bayan.

The participants were also reminded of the PNP guidelines and protocol when it comes to the issuance of press releases. (RBM/PIA Camarines Norte)