Albay’s humanitarian mission in CDO and Iligan cities ends

LEGAZPI CITY, Jan. 10 (PIA/LGU Albay) -- Members of the Albay WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Mercy Mission are now back home after spending the holidays helping typhoon and flood victims in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities in Mindanao.

The 50-member Albay WASH Mercy Mission, composed of medical doctors, nurses and other volunteer health workers, provided medical assistance and helped ease the serious lack of potable drinking water among the hapless flood victims in Mindanao.

The mission brought with them Albay’s now popular Water Purifying Machine, which can filter and decontaminate 33,000 liters of polluted water per hour and render it potable and safe for human consumption.

The water purifying machine has been proven vital in post calamity events or whenever the need for potable drinking water arise, It has been widely appreciated by people in Albay, Pangasinan, Isabela, Iloilo, Aklan, Marikina and Quezon City where it was fielded after they were devastated by calamitous weather disturbances, notably Typhoons Juan, Frank, Ondoy and Pepeng.

Salceda said the dispatch of their WASH mission in Mindanao is also in response to President Noynoy Aquino's call for help for tropical storm Sendong victims, and “in the spirit of solidarity among LGUs and the sense of kinship between our peoples, so critical in overcoming this period of distress”.

The WASH Mercy Mission is apart from from the Albay Sendong Aid Mission (ASAM) which was earlier dispatched to deliver the P1-million donation of the province -- P500,000 each for Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City.

A calamity prone province, Albay has constantly been honing its disaster risks reduction capability and has been successful with its ‘zero casualty goal’ through ‘preemptive evacuation,’ a pioneering disaster strategy, that is now a byword.

Salceda said the deployment of their WASH Mercy Mission in Mindanao is also being coordinated by Office of Civil Defense in Legazpi City, headed by Regional Director Raffy Alejandro, who also chairs the Bicol Regional Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Office.

AECID or Agencia Española Cooperacion International Para El Desarrollo, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, provided the bulk of the funds for the WASH mission, Salceda added. (MAL/PIO, LGU Albay)


Ordinance on standards for low cost typhoon resistant housing mulled

by Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY, Jan. 10 (PIA) -- Warned by the impact of typhoons and how to promote awareness among people in typhoon prevalent areas, the Sangguniang Panlungsod here is mulling to pass an ordinance to institute standards on typhoon resistant low cost housing.

Tito Fortes said the city government through the assistance of the UN Habitat Foundation Urban Planning (UNHFUP) has already piloted here several houses that have been retrofitted according to the standards of typhoon resistant housing following set by the UNFUP.

These houses are located in the six pilot-barangays here in the city that has been constructed/ retrofitted and have become the proto-type model for low cost housing typhoon resistant houses.

The Sanggunian Bayan through the assistance of the UN Habitat Foundation will formulate the criteria that will be followed as a pioneering accomplishment of the city to mitigate the effects of natural calamities and will be contained in a tool kit that will be the basis for assessment of houses specially those located in the shorelines of the different barangays here.

Fortes also explained that the thrust of the city now is to make people more aware in the style of houses that will be more resistant and assess location where houses should be built that will be contained in the city urban planning mechanisms in creating resilient communities.

The city engineering office here, according to Fortes, is conducting the rapid assessment and profiling of communities within the areas indicated as highly vulnerable to certain kinds of climatic conditions and the proper mitigation will be part of the city ordinance housing standards.

He also explained that the standards set for the creation of typhoon resistant houses will partly be provided funding coming from the international funding agencies of the CCAM program, from the disaster risk reduction fund assistance projects and local government budgetary allocation for urban planning.

He also said that hand in hand all other departments have forge their efforts to arrive at a city action plan and cascade it to the community action plan so that necessary implementable doable projects can be cooperatively accomplished specifically along housing standards.

The identified highly six vulnerable areas here under the UN Habitat program will be constantly provided capacity enhancement trainings on governance skills, bench markings of environmental situations and the vigilance mind set especially in promoting disaster risk reduction efforts within the confines of their homes.(MAL/IAG, PIA Sorsogon)

DILG chief leads inauguration of San Jose police office

by Lizel S. Macatangay

SAN JOSE, Camarines Sur, Jan. 10 (PIA) -- Department of Interior and Local Government Sec. Jesse M. Robredo and Mayor Antonio B. Chavez of this town led the blessing and inauguration of the new municipal police station building at Barangay Boclod here over the weekend,

Robredo grace the said occasion in support of the project meant to uplift the peace and order situation within the area.

Also present during the said occasion are Chief Superintendent Cecilio Calleja, Bicol Police Director; Camarines Sur Police Director Senior Superintendent Procopio Lipana, DILG Regional Director and National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) Regional Director Rodolfo G. Santos Jr.

Chavez expressed his thanks to Robredo for the latter’s support in this endeavor, who through his representation issued an amount of P3,500,000.00 for the construction of the said edifice.

“The realization of this structure will not be realized without the prompt assistance of Sec. Robredo and the support of the community. We are very thankful that our PNP members will now have a decent place to stay in and I hope that it will inspire them even more to do their job and serve the members of our community under the headship of San Jose Municipal Police Station Officer in Charge Police Sr. Superintendent Danilo Bagasina,” Chavez added.

The three-storey building which is occupying a 400 square meter portion at Barangay Boclod, originally cost P5 million pesos but due to the timely release of fund and procurement of materials, they immediately started the construction and were able to only spend 3.6M.

GRELIPS Construction and Development (GCD) won the bid and carried out the materialization of the said project undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The local government unit of San Jose also gave P500,000 as counterpart and will be spent to build perimeter fence around the said station. (MAL/LSM, PIA Camarines Sur)

DBM releases SARO for 2nd Tranche of PDAF

by Edna A. Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, Jan. 10 (PIA) -- Congressman Cesar V. Sarmiento of the lone District of Catanduanes recently revealed that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has finally released the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for the 2nd Tranche of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

According to the solon, the released of SARO is a big thing to ensure the continuous implementation of the programs that he's implementing for the province through the General Appropriations Act, which was approved by the Congress for 2011.

Included in the 2nd Tranche of the solon's PDAF is the fund for the Soft and Hard projects that will surely be a great help to every Catandunganon.

The funds for the Congressional District Office (CDO) assistance programs are included in the soft projects like those given to hospitals such as the Eastern Bicol Medical Center (EBMC) to give assistance to those who are sick.

The College Education Scholarship and Reward (CESAR) Program that grants scholarship to almost 1,800 students from indigent families will also benefit from the funds.

Moreover, one priority of SARO in terms of hard projects is the rehabilitation of the different Barangay Water Distribution Systems in the entire province that benefits around 315 barangays in the end of his first term.

Also included in the hard projects are variety of road concreting projects in barangays, construction of Multi-purpose Halls, rehabilitation of irrigation systems and other infrastracture programs that supports the economy of the island. (MAL/EAB, PIA Catanduanes)

Local gov't optimistic on Gubat tourism development

by Bennie A. Recebido

SORSOGON CITY, January 10 (PIA) -– The municipal government of Gubat is determined to develop and promote their tourism industry to both domestic and foreign tourists to prove that it is more fun in the coastal town of Gubat.

Municipal tourism officer Rebecca Ermino said that they are currently in the process of conducting dialogue to resort owners as well as to local officials of barangays in Gubat with potential tourism sites so as to know their respective tourism development plans and to give them assistance, if needed.

Ermino said they have already established resorts and other tourism sites where tourists, local and foreign have frequently visited already, but they wanted to make sure that best services will be offered to them so tourists would get beyond what they have spent.

Among the tourism destinations that Gubat takes pride with are Rizal Beach in Brgy. Rizal located 5 kms south of the town, which hosted the 9th edition of Philippine Hobie (PhilHobie) Challenge on February 2009.

“It is famous because aside from its fine-off-white and gradually sloping beach along a still very intact coast, its shoreline is also best for campfire and beach games,” she said.

Ermino also said that aside from the numerous resorts, they also promote their Liang Caves found in Brgy. Togawe, Kalayukai Beach, Dankalan Beach located at the south eastern cove of the town in between Brgy. Pinotingan and Ariman, Gubat Cadaop Spring in Brgy. Bentuco and Handawan Island in Brgy. Cogon.

Gubat town is now also being recognized as the Surfing Capital of Sorsogon gaining positive feedback from local and foreign tourists due to its big surfing waves that could thrill both swimmers and surfers. The sand bottom beach breaks of Brgys. Ariman and Buenavista which produces 2-5 feet waves is also considered as a beginner friendly surfing spot especially during the months of September to May.

With the formation of Gubat Bay Surfers by Bidge Villarroya and surfboards donated by the Local Government Unit under Mayor Ding Ramos, surfing is more accessible to the local population and tourists alike.

Aside from the invigorating beaches, Gubat town also offers tourists with scrumptious native delicacies such as baked “Timitim”, which is similar to cassava cake made up from grated cassava, mixed with coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and pili nuts and the steamed “Kinagang” made of crayfish meat mixed with strips of young coconut and leaves of mint (herba buena) and wrapped in a very special type of leaves known as “hagikhik” which is believed to be the secret of the delicacy.

Gubat is a 2nd class municipality with 42 barangays. (MAL/BAR, PIA Sorsogon)