DTI reports bright opportunities for “bayong” production in Sorsogon

by Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY, November 9 (PIA) -- Bayong production has been intensified as Sorsogon’s emerging best export product through convergence efforts by the different local governments, government line agencies, private sectors and local manufacturers, according to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provincial director Leah Pagao.

Marinella Hernandez, division chief of DTI Sorsogon product division, confirmed that there was a voluminous demand for bayong in both the local and international markets as reflected in the sales from the just concluded Orgulyo nin Bicol held in Manila.

Export sales generated P33,867 and 1,206 jobs.

Bayong is a local product made here out of the local materials such as karagumoy, buri pandan, seagrass (locally named agas), abaca, water hyacinth, bamboo and rattan.

It has also been recommended by almost all local governments here as the alternative biodegradable material instead of plastic shopping bags.

DTI Sorsogon,explained that bayong production requires only low investment and light technology as this can be mass produced in homes.

At the recent Kasanggayahan Festival, trendy bayongs were sold to promote tourism in the province.(MAL/IAG, PIA Sorsogon)

Campus journalists train on digital journalism

by Aida Alcazar-Naz

LEGAZPI CITY, November 9 (PIA) -- An on-the-job week-long regional training on digital literacy was recently conducted for secondary school paper advisers and campus writers from 64 public secondary schools.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has recognized digital literacy as a 21st century core skill. This utilization of advanced technology in school publication will be demonstrated through a contest.

The live-in training attended by 482 campus writers along with their coaches was conducted in preparation for the latest group contest in the upcoming annual National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) set next year dubbed as collaborative publishing contest.

Said tutoring, which was held in Camarines Sur National High School in Naga City last October 23-28, provided the participants with lecture discussion and demonstration highlighted by exercises and critiquing on writing news, editorial, column, feature, literary, sports and lay-outing and dummy preparation of an 8-page tabloid. Speakers in the training were a book publisher, a professor in journalism from Bicol University and the Philippine Information Agency.

Each participating school was composed of at least five editorial staffers;a news writer, editorial writer, sports writer, feature writer and a cartoonist.

They were required to bring a laptop computer, printer, digital camera, articles and photographs for the tabloid preparation.

All provincial and city divisions were represented in the training. Five schools from Albay joined the seminar-workshop, Camarines Norte had 7, Camarines Sur 9, Catanduanes 4, Masbate 4, Sorsogon 7 while cities of Iriga had 7 schools, Legazpi 2, Ligao 4, Masbate 2, Naga 2, Sorsogon7, and Tabaco 4.

Fatima D. Buen, regional coordinator for secondary campus journalism for DepEd Region V said that aside from the preparation for the contest, the training anticipated the enhancement of skills of editorial staff in producing quality publication.

As in past years, individual contests both in English and Filipino categories in news writing, feature writing, editorial writing, sports writing, editorial cartooning, photo-journalism, copyreading and headline writing will continue, added Buen.

Winners of the regional competition will represent the region in the 2012 NSPC in April next year. At present various stages of school-based, cluster or congressional level competitions in different provincial and city divisions are being held.

Winners in the cluster or congressional competition will advance to the division or provincial level while school level winners will move on to the city division contest.

All winners in the city and provincial divisions compete in the regional level.

This year’s press conference has adopted the theme, Promoting Digital Literacy Through Campus Journalism. The conduct of the NSPC is pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 7079 or An Act Providing for the Development and Promotion of Campus Journalism.

The NSPC is now on its 80th year. It traces its beginning in 1931. The annual journalism event was suspended during World War 11 and Martial Law years. (MAL/AAN, PIA V)

Catanduanes State Colleges students top Region V civil eng'g quiz

VIRAC, Catanduanes, November 9 (PIA) -- Catanduanes State Colleges (CSC) students John Michael T. Bernal and Ma. Karla T. Avila will represent Region V in the National Civil Engineering Quiz on Nov. 17, 2011 in Cagayan de Oro for respectively winning First and Second places in the 2011 Region V Civil Engineering Quiz (CE) held on Oct. 18-19, 2011 at Camarines Sur Polytechnic College, Nabua, Camarines Sur.

Bernal and Avila, both fifth year BS in Engineering, were coached by Engr. Michael M. Traballo.

The annual competition is sponsored by Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers and Mega Review Center, Manila, and participated in by various universities and colleges in Bicol region. The CE quiz is one of the highlights of the 2011 Regional PICE Students’ Summit, aside from the technical lectures and tower building competition.

Through the years, CSC has consistently maintained its top standing in the regional and national civil engineering quizzes. (GSRubio/CSC/PIA Catanduanes)

DAR discloses national convergence accomplishments in Sorsogon

by Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY, November 9 (PIA) -- The National Convergence Initiative (NCI) launched April this year has implemented several development projects in Sorsogon City, Castilla, and Casiguran, the three selected pilot areas of Sorsogon, according to Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Provincial agrarian reform officer (PARO) Roseller R. Olayres.

The proposed projects presented during the launch as part of the Sorsogon Development Investment Plan for the three pilot areas for 2011-2015, were organic farming, coconut, pili and pineapple production, livestock raising, forest and fruit trees planting, and aquamarine production and will be implemented by the three lead agencies, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Department of Agriculture (DA) and DAR.

In the municipality of Castilla, the targeted local agrarian reform communities have already undertaken participatory coconut planting, establishment of coconut nursery, livestock integration, salt fertilization, intercropping, seaweed input assistance and agro-forestry.

In the local agrarian communities of the municipality of Casiguran, the three lead agencies have already implemented the following projects: participatory coconut planting, inter-cropping, livestock production, establishment of tilapia hatchery, seaweed culture production, aqua silvi-production and establishment of the pili nursery.

Meanwhile in the city of Sorsogon agrarian reform areas, according to Olayres projects such as participatory coconut planting, intercropping, livestock production and establishment of tilapia hatchery were already implemented.

The assistance provided also by the Philippine Coconut Authority, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, together with DA ,DENR, DAR and the three LGUs concerned made the implementation successful according to Olayres.

The national convergence initiative is the government’s strategy for poverty alleviation that will eventually better the quality of life of people along the countryside and appreciate the value of their land as a a best source of opportunity for development. (MAL/IAG, PIA SOrsogon)