Police donates blood to save lives

By Benilda A. Recebido

SORSOGON CITY, April 17 (PIA) -- Donors from the Philippine National Police (PNP) have given a total of 24 units of blood during the recent National Voluntary Blood Services program's Mobile Blood Donation activity in this city.

The National Voluntary Blood Services program is under the Bicol Regional Blood Center of the Department of Health-Center for Health Development.

Sorsogon Police Provincial Office Public Relations officer Police C/Insp. Nonito F. Marquez said the activity were participated in by police personnel from the this city's and different municipal police stations across the province and Sorsogon Provincial Public Safety Company who voluntarily donated their blood to save the lives of those in need.

“Considered as one of the health partners to provide quality and safe blood supply, the Sorsogon Police Provincial Office under the leadership of officer-in-charge P/SSupt Ramon S. Ranara conducted bloodletting activity in partnership with the DOH,” said PCI Marquez.

Present during the activity were representatives from the Bicol Regional Blood Center and Dr. Marlon Gapayao, the Provincial Blood Coordinator of Sorsogon Provincial Hospital.

The DOH has continuously been promoting its blood donation campaign in order to have a sufficient number of people willing and are able to donate blood that would satisfy the numerous need of blood specifically in the hospitals.

Its legal basis is anchored on the Republic Act No. 7719, also known as the National Blood Services Act of 1994 which promotes voluntary blood donation to provide sufficient supply of safe blood and to regulate blood banks.

Both the DOH and the PNP is hoping that many individuals, not only PNP and uniformed men and women, will become regular voluntary unpaid donors to guarantee sufficient supply of safe blood and to meet the national blood necessities. (MAL/BAR-PIA5/Sorsogon)


PNP arrests barangay officials for illegal cutting of trees

By Edna A. Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, April 17 (PIA) -- The police recently arrested two village officials and three others in Gigmoto town after being caught in the act of cutting down trees.

Aside from two barangay officials, police officers from Gigmoto municipal police station also arrested three civilians of Biong, Gigmoto.

The team, led by PO3 Roberto Bernal, said that while conducting intelligence monitoring at Barangay Abihao, they heard the sound of a chainsaw and found the suspects holding the equipment and cutting down trees.

They were arrested and charged for violation of forestry laws for cutting down a tree without the necessary permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Recovered from the suspects was an unregistered still chainsaw. They were further charged with violation of Republic Act 9175, otherwise known as the Chainsaw Act of 2002.

A bail of P16,000 for each individual was recommended. (MAL/EAB/PIA5-Catanduanes)


NGCP announces power interruption in Camarines Sur April 18

By Analiza S. Macatangay

NAGA CITY, April 17 (PIA) -- The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has advised electric cooperatives and consumers in Camarines Sur of a power interruption tomorrow, April 18, in most parts of the province .

The brownout, expected from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. will affect CASURECO 1,2 and 4 distribution utilities in Camarines Sur.

Iriga City and the municipality of Bula though will experience brownout as the result of the shifting of lines but will not experience the day-long brown out as compared with its neighboring localities.

The two municipalities will experience a 15 to 30-minuter power out but supply of electricity will resume immediately after power lines are switched in the Albay sub-station.

Nelson S. Bautista, South Luzon Corporation Communication and Public Affairs officer, said the temporary power shut off is part of NGCP’s annual preventive maintenance of Naga 100MVA transformer and its associated equipment.

“Specific cities and municipalities to be affected by the power interruption are determined by the affected distribution utility (DU), unless the activity affects the entire franchise area. The DU allots the available power within its franchise area and implements the power interruption schedule among the end-users,” Bautista said in a statement.

The scheduled shutdown of some of NGCP’s transmission facilities is also meant to ensure that its transmission lines are in good working condition particularly during the conduct of the May 13 elections.

“Aside from the fact that it is included in our annual maintenance program, the temporary shutdown will also serve as our way of ensuring that the lines are all working well and will not be a source of brown out comes the casting of votes this coming May 13,” Bautista said in an interview.

Normal operations will immediately resume after work completion. NGCP’s customers, including the general public are advised to take the necessary preparations and precautions for this scheduled interruption. (MAL/LSM/PIA5-Camarines Sur)


NGO launches 'Ako Responsable, Huwaran!' campaign in Sorsogon

By Benilda A. Recebido

SORSOGON CITY, April 17 (PIA) -- Federation of Associations for Communities and Children’s Empowerment Incorporated (FACE) launched today its "Ako Responsable, Huwaran!" campaign in this city to strengthen public awareness on the Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH).

The advocacy campaign, which aims to develop responsible youths, also intends to promote the on-going effort of FACE and the Child Fund Philippines in support to the government programs for Filipino youths.

FACE community mobilizer for Bicol Chit F. Novela said the “Ako Responsable Huwaran!” campaign under the Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) program implemented by FACE and funded by the Child Fund Philippines, is in close partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Novela added that the campaign will focus on the awareness level which will make Sorsogon’s youths more responsible of themselves and that of the others as well, especially that they are most vulnerable to exploitation and sexual abuses.

FACE federation president Gloria Lorena R. Senosin will discuss the ARH Campaign: “AKo Responsable Huwaran!” to give the participants a comprehensible idea regarding the campaign and the program as well.

An exhibit of the craftsmanship of their youth beneficiaries will be displayed in the area.

The ARH program, which they also call 15-24 program, zeroes in on Filipino youths age 15 to 24. FACE organizes and helps them look for good opportunities in the future by way of providing socialized educational assistance to a 2-yr vocational course of their choice and enrolling them to DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) in coordination with the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for skills enhancement.

Children enrolled in Child Fund are also trained to have self-confidence by honing their talents, one of which is anchoring or hosting the “Balitang Bata” radio program aired over DZGN-FM every last Sunday of the month.

Novela further said that members of the youth they organized are trained to conduct formation activities for barangay youths and facilitate child development sessions of their juniors, the 6 to 14 year-old youths.

ARH is now on its 3rd year of implementation with nearly 3,500 individual beneficiaries. Benefiting from this program is the town of Pili in Camarines Sur as well as the City of Sorsogon (specifically in Barangays Balogo, Bitan-o, Sampaloc, Talisay, Sirangan and Piot) and the towns of Irosin (Brgys. Macawayan, Buenavista, San isidro, Batang, Salvacion and Casini); Bulan (Brgys. San isidro, Sta Teresita and Gate); and Matnog (Brgys. Laboy, Sisigon, Pangi, Hidhid, Bolo and Tabunan), all in the province of Sorsogon. (MAL/BAR/PIA5-Sorsogon)



NGO trains fisherfolks to venture on alternative source of income

By Benilda A. Recebido

SORSOGON CITY, April 17 (PIA) -- The Coastal Community Resources (Coastal Core) and Livelihood Development, Inc., has introduced drying technologies that will help fisherfolks to earn alternative income from basket weaving.

Basket weaving is one among the many livelihood opportunities for fisher folks supported by the Coastal Core in a partnership project called “Convenio” under the Instituto de Promoción y Apoyo al Desarrollo (IPADE) and funded by the Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional Para El Desarrollo (AECID).

Coastal Core Project coordinator Maila Quiring said that the technology will not only benefit their project-assisted communities but the basket weavers of the whole Sorsogon as well.

She said that traditional drying process of screw pines, the primary material used for basket weaving, is dependent to sunlight.

“But the weather now is so unpredictable. Effects of changing weather to basket weavers cannot be impeded," she added.

This is she said is the reason they came up with a climate change adaptive and hazard resilient drying facilities for handicraft weavers.

“Prior to the start of this project, we conducted comparative study to really come up with best results. We started by studying the traditional and local drying practices and tapped the expertise of outside resources in coming up with a more improved drying technologies. We had interfacing activities and pool traditional and modern procedures that eventually emerged into hybrid models with the highest efficiency and cost effectiveness,” Quiring explained.

Through the “Convenio”, five drying facilities were introduced namely:

• The drum type dryer, made up of plastic box with metal frame (1mx1mx2m-height) aided by charcoal stove as heat source with Vertical drying compartment that is wrapped in plastics to promote greenhouse effect and with exit porthole on top to allow moisture to exit. This cost P7,500 with a life span of two years

• The solar dryer, with a drying compartment, 1.8m x 3.6m in size, wrapped with plastic and bamboo frame (green house effect) and has a heat bank as heat collector made of black & magnetic sand (margaha). The cost is P9,000 with a life span of two years.

• The “medya talye” 3 in 1 dryer, a semi-concrete drying structure with corrugated galvanized iron as roofing and plywood as walling. It has a metal heat exchanger and can be used for cooking, drying and smoking with a 600-700 leaves capacity. The cost P80,000 with a life span of five years.

• The 3 in 1 slab dryer, with an all concrete drying structure, has metal heat exchanger, and can be used for cooking, drying and smoking with a capacity of 600-700 leaves. The cost is P150,000 with a life span of 15-20 years; and

• The 3 in 1 kitchen dryer, with an all concrete drying structure. The source of heat is from a solar heat bank and fuel stove, and can be used for cooking, drying and smoking. The cost is P65,000 with a life span of 15-20 years.

Based from the observation made by the Coastal Core, the Drum Type Dryer has a slow capacity of drying leaves.

In order to get the best result, dry leaves first in the open space before setting inside the dryer for a good finish. It can be used during rainy season but has a longer drying time which means more fuel consumption. The exit funnel should be wider to facilitate/ promote additional draft of moist air.

The solar dryer has no fuel consumption. It has proven the effectiveness of green house and convection current. This reduces drying period from 4-6 days in the open sun to 1 day in the drying facility. It has a good quality of leaves as compared to leaves dried in the open.

While for the “medya talye” 3 in 1 dryer, the leaves that were loaded into the dryer came to its suitable state of pliancy after three hours.

In terms of efficiency, the drum type dryer has a 3.77 efficiency rate, solar dryer with 3.14, “medya talye” 3 in 1 dryer with 3.59, and slab type 3 in 1 dryer with 3.79 efficiency rate.

Of the five recommended, three drying technologies have already been tested in at least five coastal barangays in Bacon District, Sorsogon City.

Coastal Core, however leaves to the discretion of the basket weaver, either individual or group weavers, the decision as to which type of drying technology would they adopt.

Coastal Core is a non-government organization based in Sorsogon City that works on resource management, public and policy advocacy, organizing, and capacity building for fisher folks specifically on Community-Based Coastal Resource Management. (MAL/BAR/PIA5-Sorsogon)



GIZ donates P1.6M worth of flood warning system for Albay

By Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, April 17 (PIA) -- The German government has donated P1.6 million to install local flood early warning system in the town of Malinao and Tabaco City in Albay.

This following the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) Thursday last week by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda for the provincial government and Olaff Neussner for the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ),

The signing of the MOA also marked the start of implementation of the project.


Neussner, chief of the GIZ, said the flood warning system will significantly contribute to the reduction of human casualties and mitigation of ill-effects to properties in the face of flood-related disasters.

He said the facilities to be set up in Albay will bring to 18 the number of local flood early warning systems or LFEWS established across the country.

In Bicol region, GIZ earlier provided similar flood warning system in Sorsogon province for the major river that serves as flood path of rain water coming from the slope of Mt. Bulusan.

Flood warning system was installed along Cadac-an River, which stretches from the lower slope of the active volcano and traverses several barangays in Juban town and neighbouring municipality of Irosin.

Similar system are in the provinces of Leyte, Samar, Negros Oriental, Oriental Mindoro, Surigao Del Sur, Surigao City, Caraga, and Isabela.

Salceda, known for championing initiatives on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, welcomed the project as a value-added program to further improve the province’s DRR measures.

He said the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council has been operating by getting disaster data based on the weather bureau forecasting system, the satellite-based system, “and with the addition of the LFEWS, the province will indeed sustain its “zero casualty” goal.

Salceda, convinced by the flood early warning system introduced by GIZ, further requested that an additional LFEWS be installed in the flood-prone areas in the second district of Albay--covering the towns of Daraga, Camalig and Manito and this city.

Neussner explained further that the LFEWS, once set up at the Buang river channel in Tabaco City and the Cumon and Suwa river in Malinao, Albay, would enhance and strengthen local disaster officials in preparing and compiling flood risk information that will guide them in planning their disaster management operations.

At the project briefing, Neussner furthered that the equipment installed at the river and watershed areas will detect and predict the likelihood of flood disasters and corresponding development of response system from the affected communities.

It will also develop communication protocols in processing rainfall and water level data that will be translated in the form of warning signals through a communication network.

The LFEWS will have the following components: risk knowledge, monitoring, analysis and forecasting, communication and dissemination and response capability.

The project carries with it the installation of telemeter rain gauges, water pressure gauges, digital rain gauged and water level markers. (MAL-PIA5/Albay)