published March 18, 2009 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY — Veterinarians in Southern Leyte have said that the recent hog deaths were caused by sudden weather changes and not by any disease.
Victor Macopia, provincial veterinary office chief, told BusinessWorld: "We found out that the animals merely suffered from common colds, abnormal body temperature and lack of appetite. These are caused by sudden changes of weather."
Over 200 sick animals have been slaughtered in the province in the past two months.
Rey Alinsub, a veterinarian of the provincial government, said their office was alarmed by reports of animal deaths in Bontoc town early last month.
"The farmers slaughtered the animals after observing that they have lost their appetite," Mr. Alinsub said.
Mr. Macopia said the hog raisers were concerned that their animals have been stricken by Ebola Reston, salmonella or hog cholera.
Sick animals were reported in Sogod and Bontoc towns as well as in Maasin City.
Mr. Macopia said they have undertaken a massive information drive to stop the slaughter and urge the raisers to observe or treat the animals.
"The situation has been controlled. There are no more unusual slaughtering and mortalities among hogs in affected areas lately," Mr. Macopia added.
Hog diseases have been reported in 18 towns and one city of Eastern Visayas since late last year. – Sarwell Q. Meniano
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Illegal shipments of young mud crabs a cause for concern at BFAR
published March 05, 2009 in Leyte Samar Daily Express and BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has expressed concern over the rampant transport of crablets from Northern Samar.
BFAR regional director Juan Albaladejo said this illegal practice has affected the local mud crab production. Although Northern Samar is one of the biggest producers of crablets, it remains a minor producer of marketable crabs.
Shipments of megalopa, the post-larval form that leads to the first crab stage, are being traded outside Samar.
"Traders buy at P5 each and then sell in other areas of Visayas and Luzon at P14 per crablet. The dealers earn more from our local produce," Mr. Albaladejo said.
Pepe Lutao, Northern Samar provincial fishery director, said that in 2007 alone, between 150,000 and 250,000 pieces of megalopa were shipped out of the island every week.
Under the provincial fishery ordinance of Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, only matchbox-size crablets are allowed for transport outside the province.
"There are already local ordinances prohibiting the transport of megalopa outside of Samar Island but [they are] not strictly implemented.
"We have started meeting with local government officials to act on this," Mr. Albaladejo told BusinessWorld.
The Fisheries bureau is looking at expanding mud crab production in Northern Samar to 2,000 hectares
.
Mr. Albaladejo said the province is ideal for mud crab fattening because of the abundant coastal mangroves, which provide a natural habitat for the crabs.
Last year, the 20 coastal towns in Northern Samar produced 13,000 metric tons of mud crabs.
In the early part of 2007, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center-Aquaculture Department together with the Australian Center for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) joined forces to implement the Community Agricultural Technologies Project’s "Enhancing adoption of mud crab production technologies in Northern Samar."
The 30-month project, which will end in November 2009, has established demonstration sites in the towns of Laoang, Lavezares, Rosario and Pambujan.
The initiative, which has a P3.3-million budget, undertakes on-farm demonstration and assessment of nursery techniques, grow-out management, fattening and nutrition, mud crab stock assessment and mud crab market survey.
Mr. Albaladejo said the project will pave the way for the adoption of sustainable improved technologies.
It will also see that there are sufficient available seed stocks for beneficiary communities, and improved ordinances to manage the collection of wild crablets.
"With this project, the total harvests and production of mud crabs will be improved by 15-30% compared with standard practices.
"The income of farmer beneficiaries will then increase between 10-20%," he added.
To support the activity, the BFAR has asked farmers to come up with a large volume of trash fish required to feed the mud crabs.
Leftover fish from a sardine manufacturer in Northern Samar can also be used which will prevent spoilage at the facility.
"Our task is to establish a storage facility to keep trash fish even after harvest seasons for future consumption," Mr. Albadejo said. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)
TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has expressed concern over the rampant transport of crablets from Northern Samar.
BFAR regional director Juan Albaladejo said this illegal practice has affected the local mud crab production. Although Northern Samar is one of the biggest producers of crablets, it remains a minor producer of marketable crabs.
Shipments of megalopa, the post-larval form that leads to the first crab stage, are being traded outside Samar.
"Traders buy at P5 each and then sell in other areas of Visayas and Luzon at P14 per crablet. The dealers earn more from our local produce," Mr. Albaladejo said.
Pepe Lutao, Northern Samar provincial fishery director, said that in 2007 alone, between 150,000 and 250,000 pieces of megalopa were shipped out of the island every week.
Under the provincial fishery ordinance of Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, only matchbox-size crablets are allowed for transport outside the province.
"There are already local ordinances prohibiting the transport of megalopa outside of Samar Island but [they are] not strictly implemented.
"We have started meeting with local government officials to act on this," Mr. Albaladejo told BusinessWorld.
The Fisheries bureau is looking at expanding mud crab production in Northern Samar to 2,000 hectares
.
Mr. Albaladejo said the province is ideal for mud crab fattening because of the abundant coastal mangroves, which provide a natural habitat for the crabs.
Last year, the 20 coastal towns in Northern Samar produced 13,000 metric tons of mud crabs.
In the early part of 2007, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center-Aquaculture Department together with the Australian Center for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) joined forces to implement the Community Agricultural Technologies Project’s "Enhancing adoption of mud crab production technologies in Northern Samar."
The 30-month project, which will end in November 2009, has established demonstration sites in the towns of Laoang, Lavezares, Rosario and Pambujan.
The initiative, which has a P3.3-million budget, undertakes on-farm demonstration and assessment of nursery techniques, grow-out management, fattening and nutrition, mud crab stock assessment and mud crab market survey.
Mr. Albaladejo said the project will pave the way for the adoption of sustainable improved technologies.
It will also see that there are sufficient available seed stocks for beneficiary communities, and improved ordinances to manage the collection of wild crablets.
"With this project, the total harvests and production of mud crabs will be improved by 15-30% compared with standard practices.
"The income of farmer beneficiaries will then increase between 10-20%," he added.
To support the activity, the BFAR has asked farmers to come up with a large volume of trash fish required to feed the mud crabs.
Leftover fish from a sardine manufacturer in Northern Samar can also be used which will prevent spoilage at the facility.
"Our task is to establish a storage facility to keep trash fish even after harvest seasons for future consumption," Mr. Albadejo said. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Nasdaq-listed call center outfit bullish on expansion
published March 03, 2009 in BusinessWorld
PALO, LEYTE — The top official of a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm which opened its first site outside Metro Manila yesterday said business would still be brisk this year despite the global economic slowdown.
Nasdaq-listed APAC Customer Services, Inc., which has offices in Alabang, Muntinlupa and Cubao, Quezon City, invested P200 million on a 31,000-square-meter facility at the Leyte Information and Communication Technology Park in the town of Palo, and plans to hire up to 1,000 workers when operations go full-blast.
"We’re in a business that when companies are downsizing and looking to cut cost, we’re one of the solutions. We prefer not to have the world in economic crisis but the truth of the matter is for APAC, it’s generally a time for opportunity. We will continue to expand in the Philippines and in the United States," said APAC President and Chief Executive
Officer Michael Marrow.
When it opened yesterday, APAC had 225 workers including 150 call center agents. The company plans to have a total of 600 seats this summer.
"If things continue to go the way we’re going right now, we will be in full operation late this year or early next year and will be looking additional space. We will continue to build more seats anytime until we all have 800 workstations built. We won’t stop at a thousand workers if we will be successful," Mr. Marrow said in news conference.
Mr. Marrow said APAC chose Leyte for expansion because of existing fiber optic connections, a good education system with 5,000 to 8,000 graduates every year, and incentives from the local government.
APAC clients are in the health care, financial services, publishing, business services, travel and entertainment, and communication sectors.
Doug Almond, APAC vice-president for international operations, said the Leyte site aims to "expand the sphere of growth and development in the BPO industry to more underdeveloped parts of the country."
"We have a growth strategy for the next five years in the Philippines, and the APAC Leyte site is part of that strategy, together with a couple more sites opening in the Visayas and Mindanao," Mr. Almond said.
APAC’s headquarters is in Deerfield, Illinois, with operations in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, New York, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Philippines. – Sarwell Q. Meniano
PALO, LEYTE — The top official of a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm which opened its first site outside Metro Manila yesterday said business would still be brisk this year despite the global economic slowdown.
Nasdaq-listed APAC Customer Services, Inc., which has offices in Alabang, Muntinlupa and Cubao, Quezon City, invested P200 million on a 31,000-square-meter facility at the Leyte Information and Communication Technology Park in the town of Palo, and plans to hire up to 1,000 workers when operations go full-blast.
"We’re in a business that when companies are downsizing and looking to cut cost, we’re one of the solutions. We prefer not to have the world in economic crisis but the truth of the matter is for APAC, it’s generally a time for opportunity. We will continue to expand in the Philippines and in the United States," said APAC President and Chief Executive
Officer Michael Marrow.
When it opened yesterday, APAC had 225 workers including 150 call center agents. The company plans to have a total of 600 seats this summer.
"If things continue to go the way we’re going right now, we will be in full operation late this year or early next year and will be looking additional space. We will continue to build more seats anytime until we all have 800 workstations built. We won’t stop at a thousand workers if we will be successful," Mr. Marrow said in news conference.
Mr. Marrow said APAC chose Leyte for expansion because of existing fiber optic connections, a good education system with 5,000 to 8,000 graduates every year, and incentives from the local government.
APAC clients are in the health care, financial services, publishing, business services, travel and entertainment, and communication sectors.
Doug Almond, APAC vice-president for international operations, said the Leyte site aims to "expand the sphere of growth and development in the BPO industry to more underdeveloped parts of the country."
"We have a growth strategy for the next five years in the Philippines, and the APAC Leyte site is part of that strategy, together with a couple more sites opening in the Visayas and Mindanao," Mr. Almond said.
APAC’s headquarters is in Deerfield, Illinois, with operations in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, New York, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Philippines. – Sarwell Q. Meniano
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Massive clean-up campaign needed to revive mussel industry
published February 19, 2009 in BusinessWorld and GMANews.tv
TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will focus on a massive clean-up campaign in Jiabong, Samar early this year to revive the ailing mussel industry in the area.
Juan Albaladejo, BFAR regional director for Eastern Visayas, said mussel culture will be temporarily stopped in 1,000 hectares of foreshore area to give way to the clean-up drive.
"Jiabong’s mussel output is down 90%. White tide appears because phosphate and nitrites are still there in the seabed. These have caused another mussel kill," Mr. Albaladejo said.
The mussel kill was reported in November last year at the two-hectare techno demo farm established by the government.
The first mussel kill, which was reported in May to June last year, forced most mussel farms in Jiabong to stop operating.
It was traced to pollution caused by the stake method of mussel culture, or the use of bamboo poles to attract mussel spats.
The poles have worsened siltation in the area and caused poor water circulation leading to an increase in nitrogenous waste deposits.
Farmed mussels continuously exposed to hypoxic conditions become stressed because of critically low levels of oxygen and are susceptible to secondary microbial infections which may result in mass mortalities.
The fishermen have since started using the raft hanging method but the area has remained polluted.
"Even the newly established mariculture (marine agriculture) zone was affected. The pollution is worse as a result of more than 30 years of unsustainable mussel farming activities," Mr. Albaladejo said.
The mussel kill caused losses of P38 million, the BFAR said. The significant decline in harvest has affected at least 137 registered farmers in the top mussel-producing municipality.
A rehabilitation project was launched last year. As of this week, only 65 of 1,000 hectares have been cleared of rotting bamboo poles by divers.
The BFAR is responsible for 70% of the rehabilitation activities while the remaining 30% is shouldered by the local government. At least P250,000 has been spent to restore the 65 hectares.
"We will draw up a system to clean up the areas faster and at a lesser cost. If we don’t conduct a massive cleanup, the same problem will occur. If we can get this done in one month, the production will recuperate after six months," Mr. Albaladejo said.
Jiabong town is a major supplier of mussels for the country’s markets. It also serves as a central trading center for mussels that are shipped to Metro Manila, Davao City, Bicol, Cebu City and other parts of the country.
Aside from Jiabong town, other mussel-producing areas in the Maqueda Bay area in Samar are Villareal, Motiong, Tarangnan and Talalora.
Mussel kills have also been reported in these areas due to coastal dead zones, characterized by the lack of oxygen in the water.
Villareal town Mayor Renato Latorre said the waste from the upland area and households must have contributed to the formation of the coastal dead zone in the bay.
"All the waste from the mountain down to the lower lands goes directly to the sea with the absence of water treatment facility.
"I believe it’s not just the stake method that caused the pollution," Mr. Latorre said.
Maqueda Bay produced 10,616 metric tons of mussels worth P43.24 million in 2006. The mussel industry supports 651 households as well as traders, processors, bamboo splitters and transport operators in Samar. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)
TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will focus on a massive clean-up campaign in Jiabong, Samar early this year to revive the ailing mussel industry in the area.
Juan Albaladejo, BFAR regional director for Eastern Visayas, said mussel culture will be temporarily stopped in 1,000 hectares of foreshore area to give way to the clean-up drive.
"Jiabong’s mussel output is down 90%. White tide appears because phosphate and nitrites are still there in the seabed. These have caused another mussel kill," Mr. Albaladejo said.
The mussel kill was reported in November last year at the two-hectare techno demo farm established by the government.
The first mussel kill, which was reported in May to June last year, forced most mussel farms in Jiabong to stop operating.
It was traced to pollution caused by the stake method of mussel culture, or the use of bamboo poles to attract mussel spats.
The poles have worsened siltation in the area and caused poor water circulation leading to an increase in nitrogenous waste deposits.
Farmed mussels continuously exposed to hypoxic conditions become stressed because of critically low levels of oxygen and are susceptible to secondary microbial infections which may result in mass mortalities.
The fishermen have since started using the raft hanging method but the area has remained polluted.
"Even the newly established mariculture (marine agriculture) zone was affected. The pollution is worse as a result of more than 30 years of unsustainable mussel farming activities," Mr. Albaladejo said.
The mussel kill caused losses of P38 million, the BFAR said. The significant decline in harvest has affected at least 137 registered farmers in the top mussel-producing municipality.
A rehabilitation project was launched last year. As of this week, only 65 of 1,000 hectares have been cleared of rotting bamboo poles by divers.
The BFAR is responsible for 70% of the rehabilitation activities while the remaining 30% is shouldered by the local government. At least P250,000 has been spent to restore the 65 hectares.
"We will draw up a system to clean up the areas faster and at a lesser cost. If we don’t conduct a massive cleanup, the same problem will occur. If we can get this done in one month, the production will recuperate after six months," Mr. Albaladejo said.
Jiabong town is a major supplier of mussels for the country’s markets. It also serves as a central trading center for mussels that are shipped to Metro Manila, Davao City, Bicol, Cebu City and other parts of the country.
Aside from Jiabong town, other mussel-producing areas in the Maqueda Bay area in Samar are Villareal, Motiong, Tarangnan and Talalora.
Mussel kills have also been reported in these areas due to coastal dead zones, characterized by the lack of oxygen in the water.
Villareal town Mayor Renato Latorre said the waste from the upland area and households must have contributed to the formation of the coastal dead zone in the bay.
"All the waste from the mountain down to the lower lands goes directly to the sea with the absence of water treatment facility.
"I believe it’s not just the stake method that caused the pollution," Mr. Latorre said.
Maqueda Bay produced 10,616 metric tons of mussels worth P43.24 million in 2006. The mussel industry supports 651 households as well as traders, processors, bamboo splitters and transport operators in Samar. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)
Monday, February 2, 2009
Intensified drive vs salmonella sought
published February 02, 2009 in BusinessWorld and GMANews.tv
TACLOBAN CITY– The Department of Agriculture has called on local government units in Eastern Visayas to intensify security measures after cases of salmonella infection have spread to this city and the island municipality of Daram in Samar province.
Local officials believed that the incident in nearby areas was triggered with transport of animals from the town of Sta. Rita in Samar where 760 pigs were affected.
To avert the problem, the quick response team of the Agriculture department recommended the following: a ban on the movement of pigs from infected to non-infected areas; isolation, treatment and therapy for infected animals; ban on slaughtering of sick pigs; and setting up checkpoints in strategic places.
"We have to make sacrifice this time. It is very risky to transport hogs from infected areas even those that are healthy," said Agriculture Regional Executive Director Leo Cañeda in a meeting with town mayors in the second district of Samar.
In a report, Agriculture officials confirmed that "most of the sick pigs from Sta. Rita town were slaughtered and some were sold to Tacloban City while dead carcasses were buried, thrown to the sea, rivers and canals."
Suspected cases
City veterinary office chief Eunice Alcantara said there were sporadic cases of suspected salmonella infection in some Tacloban villages last week.
"We cannot confirm that it’s salmonella infection. We’re not able to get samples since people resorted to early slaughter after animals have shown some symptoms of the disease," she told BusinessWorld.
Most of the reports are from the northern villages of the city. Checkpoints were set up in Diit village and Marasbaras district to check shipments from neighboring Leyte towns.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez earlier issued a notice to residents to report any occurrence of salmonella infection.
In Daram, Samar, municipal agriculturist Dolores Mustacisa said at least seven villages in their island municipality have reported cases of salmonella infection among backyard-raised pigs. An estimated 70 pigs have been infected.
"It was reported to us after people slaughtered their animals. People are not aware. We have strengthened our monitoring to get samples before the death of hogs with active cases," Ms. Mustacisa said.
The Agriculture department has imposed a ban on slaughtering of sick pigs as this would trigger the further spread of the animal disease. Improper disposal of leftover meat is one of the major factors attributing to the rising case of salmonella.
San Sebastian (Samar) Mayor Arnold Abalos said he has asked for vigilance among village officials.
"We have already conducted information dissemination to prevent the disease from affecting the livelihood of our swine raisers," said Talalora Mayor Cornelio Bersales.
Sta. Rita Mayor Lisandro Kim Adolfo said they have been asking for additional policemen to man checkpoints.
The Agriculture department said a total of 84 pigs have died and 676 others are infected.
The reported nearly 300 mortalities included those that were slaughtered, said Leo Mira of the regional animal quarantine office. - Sarwell Q. Meniano, BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY– The Department of Agriculture has called on local government units in Eastern Visayas to intensify security measures after cases of salmonella infection have spread to this city and the island municipality of Daram in Samar province.
Local officials believed that the incident in nearby areas was triggered with transport of animals from the town of Sta. Rita in Samar where 760 pigs were affected.
To avert the problem, the quick response team of the Agriculture department recommended the following: a ban on the movement of pigs from infected to non-infected areas; isolation, treatment and therapy for infected animals; ban on slaughtering of sick pigs; and setting up checkpoints in strategic places.
"We have to make sacrifice this time. It is very risky to transport hogs from infected areas even those that are healthy," said Agriculture Regional Executive Director Leo Cañeda in a meeting with town mayors in the second district of Samar.
In a report, Agriculture officials confirmed that "most of the sick pigs from Sta. Rita town were slaughtered and some were sold to Tacloban City while dead carcasses were buried, thrown to the sea, rivers and canals."
Suspected cases
City veterinary office chief Eunice Alcantara said there were sporadic cases of suspected salmonella infection in some Tacloban villages last week.
"We cannot confirm that it’s salmonella infection. We’re not able to get samples since people resorted to early slaughter after animals have shown some symptoms of the disease," she told BusinessWorld.
Most of the reports are from the northern villages of the city. Checkpoints were set up in Diit village and Marasbaras district to check shipments from neighboring Leyte towns.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez earlier issued a notice to residents to report any occurrence of salmonella infection.
In Daram, Samar, municipal agriculturist Dolores Mustacisa said at least seven villages in their island municipality have reported cases of salmonella infection among backyard-raised pigs. An estimated 70 pigs have been infected.
"It was reported to us after people slaughtered their animals. People are not aware. We have strengthened our monitoring to get samples before the death of hogs with active cases," Ms. Mustacisa said.
The Agriculture department has imposed a ban on slaughtering of sick pigs as this would trigger the further spread of the animal disease. Improper disposal of leftover meat is one of the major factors attributing to the rising case of salmonella.
San Sebastian (Samar) Mayor Arnold Abalos said he has asked for vigilance among village officials.
"We have already conducted information dissemination to prevent the disease from affecting the livelihood of our swine raisers," said Talalora Mayor Cornelio Bersales.
Sta. Rita Mayor Lisandro Kim Adolfo said they have been asking for additional policemen to man checkpoints.
The Agriculture department said a total of 84 pigs have died and 676 others are infected.
The reported nearly 300 mortalities included those that were slaughtered, said Leo Mira of the regional animal quarantine office. - Sarwell Q. Meniano, BusinessWorld
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)