WORLD AND NATIONAL WET LANDS DAY IPAGDIRIWANG DIN SA REHIYON ONSE

Lahat ng mga tauhan ng Provincial environment and Natural Resources o PENRO, Community Environment and Natural Resources o CENRO sa ilalim ng DepaRTMENT OF Environment and Natural Resources o DENR  Onse, at City Environment and Natural Resources o CENRO sa limang siudad sa rehiyon ang may kanya kanyang pagdiriwang ng World and National Wet Lands Day sa Martes, ika dalawa ng Pebrero.

Ayon kay Marygelinne Arguillas, hepe ng Protected Areras Management Biodiversity Conservation o PAMBC ng DENR Onse sa palatuntunang, “Tinig Kalikasan, sa Radyo ng Bayan Davao, na lahat ng mga opisyal nglocal na pamahalaan ng mga probinsya sa Davao del norte, davao del sur, davao occidental, davao oriental at compostela valley provinces ay may kanya kanyang aktibidad, tulad ng pagtatanim ng mangrove o bakawan sa mga baybaying dagat, maging sa mga tabing ilog at paglilinis ng mga kanal sa mga komunidad.      

Ang tema ng selebrasyon sa taong ito ay “Sustainable livelihood”.

Sabay ding nanawagan si Arguillas, sa mamamayan na alagaan at protektahan ang mga bakawan o mga punong naitatanim sa mga tabing dagat at ilog at panatilihing malinis ang kapaligiran para sa kanilang kapakanan.

Agriculture takes the highest toll due to the El Nino phenomenon in Davao Region

DAVAO CITY, January 29 (PIA) The long dry spell has already taken its toll on 5,536.9 hectares of rice fields and 6,944.73 hectares of corn fields in Davao Region.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Abreeza, Joedel Leliza, disaster risk reduction and management officer of the Department of Agriculture 11 said the total losses for rice which have a corresponding tonnage at 9,317.30 metric tons reach a total value at P140,262,498.14, while the total losses for corn which have a corresponding tonnage at 19,253.30 metric tons spread at P107,904,557.15.

He said hardest hit is the province of Davao del Sur where the intense hit affects 4,131.33 hectares, followed by Davao del Norte with 627 hectares, Compostela Valley with 330.25 hectares, Davao City with 320 hectares and Davao Oriental with ten hectares.

Leliza said the El Nino Phenomenon also hits hardest the corn production in Davao City where a total of 2,746.55 hectares with a volume at 10,201.66 metric tons pegged with a total value at P61, 577,990.00 were damaged.

It is followed by Davao del Sur, Davao del Oriental, Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley, respectively.

“The Department of Agriculture 11 has already launched several cloud-seeding activity to support the need for rainwater, as we encourage farmers to plant heat-resilient variety,” he said.  

Engr. Gerry Pedrico, chief weather specialist of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration 11 project that the long dry spell will extend towards June 2016.  (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)

Government targets 50-50 energy mix in Mindanao by 2018

DAVAO CITY, Jan 29 (PIA) The government is hard-pressed in looking for available power sources that can be tapped altogether to address the shortfall in the electricity in Mindanao and eventually install long term capacities.

Romeo Montenegro, communications director of the Mindanao Development Authority said brownouts must be addressed on a long term.

He said Mindanao must have a sustaining supply of electricity with the combination of mixed technology both renewable energy and fossil fuel like coal.

San Miguel Corporation constructs currently a 600 megawatt-coal fired power plant in Davao del Sur.

The 105 megawatt-coal fired power plant in Maasim, Sarangani might be operational also early this year.

The first solar power plant in Barangay Centrala in Surallah, South Cotabato was inaugurated recently.

“We are not just looking at addressing the brownouts.  We want also to see whether these brownouts will not occur three to five years from now. So that if we project ten to 15 years, we will able to have reliable supply with a combination of mixed technologies,” Montenegro said.

He said the current supply gap in Mindanao at 500 to 600 megawatts will be covered once the coal-fired power plants under construction go on line by June, 2016.

Montenegro said the shortage might be covered already by this year.

He said by 2017, Mindanao will eventually have regulating energy reserve.

“The entry of all other plants in 2017 and 2018 will give comfort and confidence that our demand is being addressed more than adequately already with the supply of electricity available at that time,” he said.

Montenegro stressed that over the long term, the government maintains an ideal diversified energy mix in Mindanao which is 50 percent fossil and 50 percent renewable energy.  (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)

R-XI celebrates Wet Lands Day

DAVAO CITY Jan. 29 (PIA)- The World Wet Lands Day will be celebrated by the different environmental agencies and offices in the region.

 The  Provincial Environment and Natural Resouces Office (PENRO), Community Environment and Natural Resources Office ) CENRO under the  Department of Environment and Natural Resources-XI along with the CENRO (City Environment and Natural Resources Office) of the five cities in the region had their separate activities to celebrate the World and National Wet Lands Day this coming February 2.

According to Marygelinne Arguillas, chief of the Protected Areas Management Biodiversity Conservation (PAMBC) of DENR -XI the local governments in the region are also commemorating the said event.

Among the events and activities spearheaded by the provincial government of Davao del Norte, Davao del sur, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley include community clean-up and mangrove planting in the coastal areas. The theme of the celebration is “Wetlands for our Future- Sustainable Livelihood.”

Arguillas called on the public to protect the mangrove and trees planted in the coasts and river banks and to maintain the cleanliness of local wetlands.

The Philippines is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention in 1999. It is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of wetland resources.

The convention was signed in Ramsar, Iran on February 2, 1971, the date where the World Wetlands Day is celebrated.

Wetlands are areas covered by salt, fresh or brackish water either in the edge of bodies of water or in low-lying flooded areas, they support a wide range of flora and fauna and are valued as a nursery for species of fishes and aquatic animals. (PIA/XI)

GPH-MNLF peace process moves from review to implementation

The Philippine government (GPH), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) formally signed on Tuesday (Jan. 26) the Joint Communique that marks the conclusion of the Tripartite Review Process (TRP) of the Implementation of the 1996 GPH-MNLF Final Peace Agreement (FPA) that has run for more than eight years. “This is an important milestone we have reached as it sets the convergence of the two Bangsamoro peace processes,” explained Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and head of the delegation of the Philippine Government during the two-day 5th Ministerial Level meeting of the TRP. The Joint Communiqué of the conference stated that the TRP ministerial meeting was held “to define a road map towards the completion of the Review Process and identify ways and means of coordination and collaboration for the implementation of what they agreed upon during the Review Process.” “What this means is that we have finally finished the eight-year long review of the implementation of the FPA, and we can now move forward towards implementing the agreements reached this time under the TRP,” added OPAPP Undersecretary for Programs Yusuf Jose Lorena. Specifically, the Joint Communique identified four key areas that the parties agreed to implement: - The establishment of the Bangsamoro Development Assistance Fund that will be used for for socio-economic development projects for MNLF communities - The agreement on the Co-Management of Strategic Minerals will be referred to the Oversight Committee created by RA 9054 for the continuation of its devolution process. - The participation of the MNLF in the Bangsamoro Transition Commission of the envisioned Bangsamoro Parliament; and, - The creation of the Tripartite Implementation Monitoring Committee, a body that will oversee the implementation of all points of consensus arrived at by the TRP. The communiqué was signed by Undersecretary Jose Yusuf Iribani Lorena for the Philippine Government, and Atty Randolph Parcasio and Muslimin Sema on behalf of the MNLF as principals, along with OIC Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madani for the 57-nation Islamic organization. OPAPP Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles and Samsula Adju of the MNLF signed as witnesses. (OPAPP)