BFP Sorsogon City conducts tree planting and blood letting activities

By: BARecebido/MGEbio

Sorsogon City, March 29 (PIA) – The Bureau of Fire Protection Sorsogon City Fire Station conducted today a tree planting activity in Abuyog Elementary School as part of the 45^th observance of Fire Prevention Month this March.

“This activity is also part of the BFP’s social responsibility to help protect the environment and further shows that the BFP as one of the line agencies of the government fully supports activities as such to send message to the community that we are not only concerned about public safety but also on environmental issues as well,” said City Fire Marshal CInsp Renato Marcial.

It can be noted that on Saturday, March 26, the BFP City Fire Station had also conducted a clean-up drive in Brgy. Caricaran, Bacon District, Sorsogon City.

To culminate the Fire Prevention Month, a blood letting activity will be held at the Sorsogon City Central Fire Station tomorrow, March 30.

“Through this endeavor, the BFP aims to strengthen its relation to the public for them to develop the trust and confidence to the programs of the government,” Marcial said.

He also said that the BFP persistently appeals for the cooperation of the community in their advocacy in promoting fire safety not only during the month of March but at all times in order to ensure the safety of everyone.

The Sorsogon City Central Fire Station have also conducted within the month various activities such as motorcade, information drive, feeding, company inspection, open house visitation, ugnayan sa barangay and fire truck visibility. (PIA Sorsogon)

Mayon Volcano Natural Park benefits from Earth Hour campaign

News Release
March 28, 2011

            LEGAZPI CITY - While the whole world awaited for Earth Hour last Saturday (March 26, 2011), Legazpi City was also geared up for the Run for EArth Consciousness Hour (R.E.A.C.H.) which aims to gather support for Mayon Volcano Natural Park.

           

            Braving the cold and damp Saturday night run, REACH runners estimated at almost 700 eco-conscious participants negotiated their 5 kilometer route through darkness and drizzle brought by the lingering wind convergence.

Equipped only with reflector sticks to keep mobile traffic at bay, runners dashed their way from Bicol University track and field ground to major thoroughfares of the city then finished at the Quezon Avenue.

            Top runners of the REACH run are Martin Balaybo, the fastest in men’s category and Begoña Julian, a Spanish runner routing local athletes in the distaff side.

            Earth Hour candle lighting at 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. followed the awarding ceremonies. A sea of candles forming the word “MAYON” lit the downtown district of Legazpi City.

During the Earth Hour vigil, the race organizers provided talks on the significance of heeding the Earth Hour, lowering carbon emission and planting more trees to help mitigate climate change.

            “This vigil of runners and environmentalists is a sign of commitment to conserve energy, lower carbon foot print, and campaign for forest rehabilitation true to the goals of the Earth Hour” explains REACH Race Director Yul Almayda.

            Almayda tapped the DENR for the Mayon Volcano Natural Park in Lidong, Sto. Domingo, Albay as its recipient. According to him a future date is set for the tree planting to compliment with the government’s objective under the National Greening Program.

Meanwhile, World Wildlife Fund – Philippines reported that for the third straight year the Philippines snatched the top spot with a record-breaking 1661 Filipino towns, cities and municipalities joining the rest of the world in taking a stand against climate change. Worldwide, a record 134 countries and territories took part in Earth Hour 2011. Numerous global organizations joined nearly a billion people across all continents to heed the hour.

In Bicol region, the DENR, through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) advised local governments, industries and socio-civic groups to make a stand and join Earth Hour 2011. (JESSEL BASANTA)

Urban greening caps Women’s Month celebration

News release
March 28, 2011 

            LEGAZPI CITY - Golden Shower and Fire Trees will soon be seen teeming along Taysan Resettlement Site, Legazpi City after gender and development advocates planted scores of seedlings as Bicol Region capped the Women’s Month celebration (WMC) last Friday (March 25, 2011).

           

            Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women or CEDAW campaigners both men and women, from various government agencies did their share in the tree planting endeavor.

            Some making sure high survival rate of the seedlings, broached the bottom part of the plastic pots holding the saplings, dug deep enough and covered it well with top soil.

            “We join this event to promote awareness on gender development as well as help planting more trees to address climate change” says Crisencia Marantal, an overseas Filipino worker. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) fielded a team of OFWs to support the urban greening last Friday. Alongside the OFWs, teachers, representatives from the local Police and Fire Bureau also made the effort to plant, and campaign for CEDAW 2011 goals.

            The Department of Environment and Natural Resources spearheaded urban greening was in tune with the national government’s National Greening Program which promotes the role of women and achieving the country’s millennium development goal of ensuring sustainable development.

NGP as a national priority program has a goal of planting 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares for the period 2011-2016. 10 percent of the NGP target will be allotted for urban greening.

            “Aside from the Magna Carta of Women and the Millenium Development Goals, 2011WMC will focus on climate change,” Elizabeth Padilla, DENR-GAD focal person explains.

The 2011 Women’s Month theme in the DENR is “Magna Carta of Women, Philippine CEDAW: In Support of Millennium Development Goal 7 (To Ensure Environmental Sustainablity)”.

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje emphasized that the successful implementation of the NGP will be the agency’s major contribution to the fulfillment of this year’s theme for National Women’s Month, “Magna Carta of Women, Philippine CEDAW: In support of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)”. Further, monitoring of the agency’s accomplishments would consider sex-disaggregated data to determine the number of female beneficiaries or participants in the program.

According to him, the DENR has undertaken concrete initiatives in response to the three-fold challenge of gender and development (GAD), namely, the country’s commitment to the international Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women or CEDAW; compliance to Republic Act (RA) 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women; and MDG number 7, ensuring environmental sustainability.

He cited that the DENR has long been issuing tenurial instruments such as forest stewardship and land patents to female beneficiaries. He has also instructed the agency’s land management sector to include gender perspectives in the implementation of, and information campaign for, Republic Act 10023 or the Residential Free Patent Act. (JESSEL BASANTA/ PAO/PIA)

Earth Hour 2011

Earth Hour vigil. A sea of candles (forming the word MAYON) lights  the downtown district of Legazpi City in observance of the Earth Hour  last March 26, 2011. Participants joined the Run for EArth Hour  Consciousness (REACH), a 5 kilometer night run which aims to raise  public awareness on carbon emission and climate change as well as  to gather support for Mayon Volcano Natural Park in Lidong, Sto. Domingo, Albay.  Part of the proceeds will be allotted for a tree planting event on the foothills  of Mt. Mayon. (Photo by REX WADE BANDOJO/PIA)

DENR creates anti-illegal logging task force

DENR News Release

LEGAZPI CITY, (March 28, 2011) — Ensuring that the enforcement of Executive Order 23 will be complied with in Bicol, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) convened and created the regional anti-illegal logging task force (RAILTF).

“This inter-agency task force is in line with the recently passed resolution of the national anti-illegal logging task force (NAILTF) chaired by Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje calling for the creation of local task forces in all regions of the country, except in the National Capital Region (NCR)” DENR Regional Executive Director Joselin Marcus Fragada said in the first ever assembly of the RAILTF held on March 16, 2011.

Director Fragada stressed the importance of the creation of the regional task force in checking a hundred percent compliance on the local level with President Aquino’s EO 23.

“The task force is set to monitor activities in natural and residual forest in Bicol Region with agents deputized by virtue of the Executive Order” he added.

Fragada explained further that the task force will conduct surveillance, apprehension of illegal loggers and pursue cases against them as provided for by EO 23. RED Fragada urges local executives to provide support to the RAILTF in the crusade against illegal logging which is further underpinned in Resolution No. 2011-003, as it designates the task force to act on reports by local executives, through their provincial governors or the regional directors of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Resolution 2011-003 provides that “all concerned municipal/city mayors, though their respective   barangay captains” are to conduct upland monitoring “to ensure that no illegal logging, kaingin and other forms of forest destruction” take place within their jurisdictions with the injunction to report to the RTFs, “through the Provincial Governor and/or the DILG Regional Director,” incidents of forests destruction especially slash and burn farming (kaingin) and illegal logging activities.

The RAILTF members included the DILG, the Armed Forces of the Philippines 9^th Infantry Division and its 901^st, 902^nd and 903rd Infantry Brigades, Phil. Navy - Naval Forces Southern Luzon, Phil. Air Force Tactical Operations Group V, Phil. National Police Regional Office V, Phil. Coast Guard, Department of Transportation and Communication, National Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice. As of press time, the inter-agency task force is organizing an operation center (OPCEN) to ensure speedy mobilization of all its assets.

Meanwhile, to  further strengthen Resolution 2011-003, the NAILTF also passed Resolution 2011-04  detailing a wide range of  activities which include  the conduct of periodic aerial surveillance; acquisition of aerial photos to be provided by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), particularly of critical areas and hotspots identified by the DENR; conduct of massive consultations and trainings with upland peoples organizations on the development of social fences  around natural and residual forests nationwide. (JESSEL BASANTA)

NGCP President Henry Sy, Jr. appeals for public vigilance against grassfires to ensure line safety

News Release

28 March 2011

NGCP President Henry Sy, Jr. appeals for public vigilance

against grassfires to ensure line safety

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is appealing to communities hosting transmission facilities across the country to be more vigilant in guarding and protecting high-voltage transmission lines against grassfires, especially during the summer season.

One of these grassfires was identified as the cause of the tripping of the 500-kiloVolt San Jose-San Manuel transmission line last Saturday. The grassfire was located between towers 196 and 197 of the said line in Brgy. Sumacab, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

With more than 19,000 circuit kilometers of transmission lines in the country, NGCP is requesting the public’s assistance in protecting the lines in their communities. The public is advised not to build a fire near or under transmission structures. Planting of trees, putting up of antennas, and building of houses or other structures near or under transmission structures are also discouraged as these obstructions easily cause power outages when they come in contact with high-voltage power lines.

To maintain the security and reliability of the entire Luzon grid, NGCP implemented manual load dropping Saturday at 2:03PM at its customer Meralco's line feeders. The power interruption experienced in Metro Manila and other Meralco areas was caused by the tripping of the 500-kiloVolt line which necessitated the shutdown of three of NGCP's four transformer units at the San Jose Substation in Bulacan.

NGCP worked closely with Meralco to expedite restoration efforts in affected areas. As of 2:40PM on the same day, one transformer unit was immediately restored. By 5:14PM Saturday, the remaining two transformer units were restored and placed online into the power grid.

Amid worries of similar power interruptions in the coming summer months, NGCP assured its power customers that it is on top of the situation and fully prepared for any contingencies such as the grid disturbance which occurred over the weekend. It was an isolated incident that will not affect the integrity of the entire grid.

NGCP definitively ruled out transmission constraint as the root cause of the tripping which affected the 500-kiloVolt line and three transformers last Saturday. The expansion of San Jose Substation’s capacity last year already effectively addressed transmission congestion in the Luzon grid inherited by NGCP.

The transformer upgrade program completed in September last year increased San Jose substation's total capacity from 2,400 megavolt ampere (MVA) to 3,000 MVA. With its four 600-MVA transformers already replaced with four new 750-MVA units, San Jose Substation has more capacity to receive and transmit bulk power to Luzon grid users. An additional unit of a 250-MVA power transformer is also available as spare.

Regular maintenance works are ongoing not just in substations across the country, but also on high-voltage transmission lines, to ensure that these transmission facilities are capable of carrying power to grid customers. Trimming of trees and vegetation within the transmission line right-of-way is also part of the regular operation and maintenance procedures of NGCP linemen. The public is likewise enjoined not to impede maintenance works of NGCP. (NGCP/PIA)