DENR-V News Release

DENR-EMB and EDC-BacMan launch

2011 “Pataramisan sagkud Padarakulaan”

Legazpi City—The DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and the Energy Development Corporation (EDC)-Bacon-Manito (BacMan) Geothermal Power Plant Project open the first “Pataramisan sagkud Padarakulaan”, a competition for the sweetest and largest gumihan and baligang fruits in Bicol.

The contest proper will be held on June 1, 2011 at the Pacific Mall Atrium here and is open to government and private agencies as well as plantation and nursery owners of the said trees within the Bicol.

Interested individuals and groups may submit their fruit entries with the Entry Form to the contest secretariat on the day of the contest proper, from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Half-ripe and fully ripe gumihan fruit entries will be accepted, on the other hand, baligang entries must be fully ripened. The fruit entries will be selected based on factors such as smell, color, size of seeds with pulp, taste (sweetness), and physical condition. Each fruit entry will be purchased by the contest committee at P50.00 per piece for gumihan and P300 for 5 kilos of baligang.

Winners will receive cash prizes as follows: first prize, P15,000, second prize, P10,000, third prize, P5,000. Ten consolation prizes will also be given at P1,000 each.

The seeds of the fruits consumed on the contest proper will be turned over to EDC-BacMan to have the seedlings propagated at the watershed of BacMan Geothermal Power Plant Complex. This is to ensure the reproduction of the said fruits and sustain the food chain of fruit bats and other faunas in the area.

With gumihan and baligang enlisted as endangered fruit trees, “Pataramisan sagkud Padarakulaan” aims to call for the preservation of the said trees. Moreover, the contest purports to address environmental and health issues such as deforestation, climate change and malnutrition, to name a few.

Gumihan and baligang are endemic fruit-bearing trees in the region. These trees bear fruit annually and ripen during May and June. Gumihan is similar to marang, a relative fruit found in Mindanao. Likewise, baligang is similar to its relative fruit duhat; however, the two vary in taste as baligang is sour and sweet while duhat tastes bitter.

Several Bicolanos know and have tasted the baligang fruit but most are still unfamiliar with gumihan. In Visayas, Mindanao and even in the northernmost part of Luzon, the fruits are seldom found and are not known to be edible.

EMB Bicol Regional Director and Chairman of the BacMan Geothermal Multi-Partite Monitoring Team Fernando Quililan hopes that the contest will generate interest among Bicolanos in the preservation, protection and propagation of the fruits.

“With their extensive presence in our region, we can adopt gumihan and baligang as our [regional] landmark fruits,” Director Quililan said. “We can even rival the Durian and Lanzones Festivals of Davao and Camiguin provinces with our very own Gumihan and Baligang Festival.”

                 

DENR, EMB and EDC-BacMan collaborated with the Provincial Governments of Albay and Sorsogon as well as with Albay Centre for Initiatives and Research on Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) to implement said contest. (DENRV/PIA)

DENR News Release

Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools continues

Legazpi City—The DENR-Environmental Management Bureau V invites schools and universities in Bicol to join as the 2011 Regional Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools continues.

The contest is open to academic institutions in the elementary, secondary and tertiary levels and aims to encourage academic institutions to become more actively involved in environmental issues at practical and local levels. Furthermore, the contest aims to develop skills and understanding in initiating active responses and increasing community awareness and participation on environmental concerns among students, faculty and school administrators. With the search, environmental initiatives and other multi-faceted programs of the schools are also recognized.

The participating schools will be selected based on the following criteria: Environment-related aspects of the school’s policy (20 points), Environmental dimensions of school operations (30 points), Environmental-related features of the school curriculum (30 points), Presence of vibrant eco-organizations in campus (10 points), and Presence of environmental partners and linkages in various programs/projects (10 points).

Interested schools may submit their official contest entry forms and supporting documents in both printed and digital copies on or before April 29, 2011. Schools in the elementary and high school categories must submit their entries to the Department of Education (DepEd) Division Office while schools in the college category may submit their entries directly to the EMB Regional Office.

One school will be selected as regional finalist. Each finalist will be awarded a Certificate of Recognition as well as a prize of P10,000 in cheque. The finalists will also compete in the National Search which will be held in Manila.

The Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools is a partnership program among the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), DepEd, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and SMART Communications Inc. The said agencies will also handle the screening and actual assessment  of the participating schools.

For inquiries, kindly visit the EMB V Regional Office at the Regional Center Site, Rawis, Legazpi City, or call (052) 482-0197 or visit our website www.sustainableschools.ph. (DENR/PIA)

CICT NEWS

Survey to measure benefits of free computer project

By Kairos dela Cruz

A government project that puts up net-enabled computer labs in public high schools will conduct a survey measuring the benefits gained by thousands of students.

This was announced by the iSchools Project which will conduct a benefit survey on its recipient schools through its Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) component scheduled to conclude on the first of April 2011.

The project, through its Project Management Office (PMO), and its State Universities and Colleges (SUC) partners will spearhead the benefit survey.

The iSchools Project succeeded in giving out computer units and supplementary training to 1,000 public high schools and state laboratory schools through four fund years – 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009.

These four fund years will be assessed separately by the PMO and SUC partners of iSchools.

iSchools' SUC partners are responsible for surveying the project's recipients from 2005-2006, leaving the evaluation of the rest of the fund years to iSchools' PMO.

“Based on the report, the project will be able to assess and document the recipients' gained benefits by accepting the project (iSchools) in their community,” Leila Ramos, the M&E team's leader, said.

In the upcoming series of benefit surveys, iSchools' PMO will focus on four main provinces – Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite and Bataan. The surveys will be conducted in 12 recipients in Bulacan, 21 recipients in Batangas, seven recipients in Cavite, and five recipients in Bataan.

iSchools' PMO hired twelve survey experts to insure a high quality review.

The results of the benefit survey will be consolidated in a M&E report that will be released on the 30^th of April 2011.

“The report will shed some light on the possible occurrence of differences in the reaction of the recipient schools in integrating the project to their school and community. Hopefully, the report will become a reference point in the planning and implementation of similar projects in the future,” Ramos added.###

About the Project

The iSchools Project is one of the flagship projects of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) under the Office of the President. Recognized at the 2009 Philippine Government ICT Awards and the 3rd Government Technology Awards in Bali, Indonesia, the project aims to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education, by providing training modules and increasing ICT access in public high schools. Now on its 4th year of implementation, the iSchools Project is continuing to provide these services to 1,000 public high schools nationwide.

Should you wish to know more about the iSchools Project, please visit our website at www.ischools.ph. You may contact us at (+632) 920-0101 local 299 or at ischoolsproject@gmail.com.

Christian Placido G. Calma
Content Development Component
iSchools Project
0920-9268534
http://www.ischools.ph/

DENR News Release

DENR to produce bigger geohazard maps  for flood- and landslide-prone areas

Legazpi City - The densification of geohazard and climate change maps is among the major projects to be implemented this year by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje said the densification project is aimed to produce geohazard maps with scale of 1:10,000 covering critical areas to show more details of the area covered by the map.

“The production of a 1:10,000-scale geohazard map is like zooming in the 1:50,000 map until we see the details of the area which cannot be represented in the 1:50,000-scale geohazard maps,” Paje said.

Among the details that can be found in a 1:10,000-scale geohazard map include parameters or features in the area that may affect ground stability and the type of landslides that can possibly occur in the area.

“With the 1:10,000 map, the relocation sites can also be plotted, which we cannot be done in the 1:50,000-scale maps,” Paje said.

Priority in the densification project will be maps of provinces located in the eastern seaboard, according to him.  These include the provinces of Quirino, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Cagayan in Region 2; Aurora, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Zambales and Bataan in Region 3; Quezon, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas and Cavite in Region 4A; Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate in Region 5; Southern Leyte, Northern Leyte, Biliran and Samar Island in Region 8; Compostela Valley in Region 11; and Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur in CARAGA region.

Paje also said that under the project, the MGB will also conduct coastal geohazard assessment and the mapping of 97 priority coastal municipalities and cities at a scale 1:10,000 in Iloilo, Aklan, La Union, Northern Samar, Cebu and Negros Oriental.

The geohazard maps will then be distributed to concerned local government units, said Paje, with intensive information and education support and training of not only local officials but also local leaders and members of affected communities. 

News Release

Sorsogon Provincial Veterinary Office calls observe protocols on marine mammals stranding response
By : Irma A. Guhit

Sorsogon City- February 11 - The stranded 300 kg. Indo-Pacific Dolphin found last week near the pier site of   Matnog and was released after the   medical assessment conducted was found out to be infected by a disease called "lobo mycosis". Dr.  Enrique Espiritu, Sorsogon provincial veterinary officer disclosed.

The finding was a result of the analysis of the dolphin's   blood, tissue and fecal samples submitted to the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources that were examined.

Lobo mycosis is a disease caused by contamination to highly polluted water. where marine mammals are usually exposed  this being their habitat. A marine mammal contaminated by such kind of disease maybe compared too, to mosquitoes considered as vectors and become carriers of diseases.that can affect humans.

Records have it that in some cases where marine mammals are stranded and are found dead sometimes are usually slaughtered or butchered and consumed as food.

In the   marine mammal emergency response protocols   it is imperative that no slaughtering or butchering be done especially if this is to be consumed as food. The disease of these mammals may cause an outbreak of another kind of disease if consumed by people in a community.

The importance of creating awareness on how to handle stranded marine mammals and observe protocols is significantly for health reasons too .It is always important according to Dr. Espiritu that marine mammals and marine turtles stranding be reported immediately and caution in handling be observed.

"Because of the certain conditions now in our environment and the conditions of certain bodies of water, the provincial veterinary office is providing a hotline where one can report immediately this kind of cases. Children should never be allowed to go near or play with these stranded marine animals since if they are badly hurt some may show abnormal behaviors. and may cause harm to those who will go near it", Dr. Espiritu concluded. (PIA Sorsogon)

Feature Release

‘Metro Bulusan’ an Asian Disaster Preparedness Center Project

By: Irma A. Guhit

Sorsogon City, February 14 – Immersing into the different municipalities here in the province of Sorsogon, particularly Pto. Diaz to inspect the core shelter constructed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development last December 15, 2010, DSWD Undersecretary Vilma Cabrera felt the need to provide the province of Sorsogon not only disaster risk reduction initiatives but more on highlighting a developmental landscape that will feature the tourism potential of the province particularly Bulusan and the four other municipalities within its peripheries namely Casiguran, Juban, Irosin and Barcelona. The project will be known as “Metro Bulusan”.

Through the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) United Nation Development Program  DSWD Bicol Recovery Project, the five territorial  municipalities within the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park will be provided with developmental initiatives through tourism training, livelihood programs, enhanced disaster preparedness and risk reduction management and capacity enhancement that hopefully will trigger assured development, holistic and integrative plan that will insure socio-economic development within definitive goals for eco-tourism activities.

“We will provide local governments with assistance in strategic planning and development. We will also train local people on advocacy campaigns and fund resource mobilization and the right awareness of how they will be able to harness their tourism potentials. The plan of creating a cohesive action within and among the five-territorial municipalities within the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park will be translated into sustainable livelihood opportunities focusing on the value of ecotourism,” Secretary Cabrera said.

Former Sorsogon governor Sally Ante-Lee, now the executive director of the Sorsogon Provincial Management Office (SPMO) said that the conceptualization of Metro Bulusan project is Governor Raul R. Lee’s commitment to propel the province as one distinct ecotourism destination in the Philippines.

The project is about to start early March of this year according to Mrs. Lee.

“It is noteworthy that with the Ecotourism Code passed by the legislative body during the time of former governor Sally Ante Lee and the networks she has maintained, giving her the task to connect with our national figures aside from our foreign funding agency, the bright prospects for tourism in our province is one of the many potentials that we have to be aware of,” Sorsogon Governor Raul Lee expressed.

“It is also my desire that we have to maintain the simple but beautiful natural look of our province. The development programs we are initiating in the different municipalities in our province will be harmonized looking into the importance of our still intact natural rustic landscape. We are also looking into the different natural wealth of our province that while these has to be utilized, the safety nets should be also be in placed especially that the thrusts of the province is towards climate change mitigation and adaptation,” Gov. Lee further explained. (PIA Sorsogon)