published December 10, 2010 in BusinessWorld
PARANAS, SAMAR -- A growing population is threatening biodiversity at the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP).
Manolito D. Ragub, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional technical director for research and project manager of Samar Island Biodiversity Project (SIBP), said the population within the park has been one of the major challenges that park management is facing.
"Timber poaching is very common because of the people’s impoverished situation. They do it because there’s no other source of income," Mr. Ragub said.
Logging has been banned in Samar, but small-scale logging continues and is hard to control, he added.
The latest available data from the National Statistical Coordination Board showed that Samar provinces posted the highest proportion of population below the poverty threshold at 61.6% in Northern Samar, 51.9% in Eastern Samar, and 47.6% in Samar.
"Based on our latest survey, there are about 70,000 upland dwellers in SINP area. The annual growth rate of 1.5% has been consistent," Mr. Ragub told BusinessWorld.
Other indiscriminate use of resources include encroachment and cultivation, the harvest of rattan and other non-timber forest products, and the hunting of wildlife.
The latest report of a biological resource assessment (BRA) of the Samar park showed that forest cover on the island has dwindled to about 311,000 hectares, or about 49,000 hectares less than the 1987 estimate from the Satellite Spot.
"About 60% of forest cover is still intact. We are expecting more support from various groups because of the growing concern to address climate change," Mr. Ragub said.
The BRA also noted that there is rampant collection of wildlife in the sites covered by the survey. In the eastern part of the island alone, an estimated 3,600 parrots are caught and sold as pets every year.
The report disclosed that about 1,000 species belonging to nearly 290 genera of 100 families were recorded. It was also found that 53% of the plant species are endemic, of which 35 species are considered endangered.
The United Nations Development Programme is currently implementing a $21-million program in SINP area to preserve its natural resources. The program will expire next year.
The SINP is a protected area established by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 442 by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on April 13, 2003. The park covers 333,000 hectares of forest and an additional 125,400 hectare buffer zone encompassing 36 municipalities and one city.
Samar is the third-largest island in the Philippine archipelago, with a total land area of 1.348 million hectares. The island has the largest tracts of lowland tropical rainforest consisting of 360,000 hectares.
The entire Samar Island is known for its rich biodiversity. It was listed in the global 200 eco-region (World Wildlife Fund), one of the nine endemic bird areas in the Philippines, and one of 18 centers of plant diversity in the country.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Dolphins killed after blast fishing
published December 9, 2010 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is investigating a dynamite fishing incident that caused the death of three Risso’s dolphins and severely injured another off the coast of Zumarraga, Samar last weekend.
Juan D. Albaladejo, BFAR regional director, said local fishermen who might have been behind the blast fishing slaughtered two of the dolphins that got entangled in their nets after the explosion and shared the meat with their neighbors.
The third dolphin, with a length of 1.5 meters, swam to Antiao River in Catbalogan, Samar but died Sunday afternoon despite recovery efforts by experts in Samar State University. The fourth dolphin was rescued in Villareal, Samar and is now under treatment.
"The one in Villareal is still alive and we have found out that it was pregnant. But the neonate came out dead already. Based on our past experience, the chance of survival is very low for stranded marine mammals," Mr. Albaladejo told BusinessWorld in a phone interview yesterday.
The surviving dolphin, with a length of two meters, was sighted Sunday by a BFAR water sampler in Barangay Cabagsan, Villareal town. The dolphin was given antibiotics and multivitamins.
Risso’s dolphins are identified by their robust, stocky bodies that are covered with scratches and scars. Their bodies become more slender behind the dorsal fin.
Under Fisheries Administrative Order 185 series of 1992 entitled "Ban on the taking or catching, selling, purchasing, possessing, transporting and exporting dolphins," the penalty is P500 to P5,000 and/or imprisonment of six months to four years.
Mr. Albaladejo said he has deployed personnel in Maqueda Bay to take part in the investigation.
Risso’s dolphins believed to have been victims of blast fishing were rescued off Maqueda Bay in Samar early last year but both died while undergoing treatment.
"The area has been known for rampant dynamite fishing," Mr. Albaladejo said. -- Sarwell Q. Meniano
MDG poverty reduction goal for Eastern Visayas ‘impossible’
published in BusinessWorld November 30, 2010
TACLOBAN CITY -- The objective to cut by a third by 2015 the portion of the Eastern Visayas’ population living in "extreme poverty" is not realistic, a regional official of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said, referring to the target set for the region under the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
Noting that about 48.5% of the population in Eastern Visayas had been living below the poverty threshold as of 2006, NSCB regional head Evangeline M. Paran said in a recent phone interview that, "looking at the trend since 1990, it’s impossible to eradicate [sic] extreme poverty in the next five years. It might stay in the vicinity of 40% by 2015."
Identified as living in "extreme poverty" are those households that live on less than a dollar a day.
Of the six provinces in Eastern Visayas, Northern Samar posted the highest percentage of such poor families (61.1%), followed by Eastern Samar (51.9%), Samar (47.6%), Leyte (47.3%), Biliran (42.2%), and Southern Leyte (36%).
"Under MDG, we’re supposed to reduce (the proportion of impoverished families) to 32.4% by 2015, but it was still high based on actual figures," Ms. Paran said.
For the past 13 years, NSCB data showed no marked improvement in the number of poor families in the region. In 1997, the poor families accounted for 47.4% of the region’s population. This percentage dipped to 45.4% in 2000, but rose to 43.5% in 2003 and further to 48.5% in 2006.
Ms. Paran said a slight improvement is seen in the 2009 data because of various anti-poverty programs of the national government such as Food for School, Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan (Kalahi), Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and intensified advocacy on achieving MDG through better local governance.
"In the case of 4Ps, the impact will not be remarkable because as of 2009, the recipients represent a small share of the total number of poor households and there are also issues like those who received the benefits were not the poorest," she said.
Department of Budget and Management Regional Director Imelda C. Laceras said
separately that "the region has many things to do to meet MDG targets. Yearly budgeting should be refocused to address the concern of sectors where we are lagging behind."
Eastern Visayas, also known as Region 8, has also been lagging behind in the other MDG targets, particularly in achieving universal primary education, with only 63.6% and 62.6% of children completing elementary and secondary education, respectively.
The region has also shown poor performance in the promotion of gender equality and empowering women, especially in the fields of education and politics.
Improving maternal health is another concern, amid a high maternal mortality rate and the preference of many mothers in the region to seek the services of traditional birth attendants.
High dengue cases in the region this year have also dragged on the region’s performance in combating diseases.
However, the region still fared better in terms of reducing child mortality. -- SQM
TACLOBAN CITY -- The objective to cut by a third by 2015 the portion of the Eastern Visayas’ population living in "extreme poverty" is not realistic, a regional official of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said, referring to the target set for the region under the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
Noting that about 48.5% of the population in Eastern Visayas had been living below the poverty threshold as of 2006, NSCB regional head Evangeline M. Paran said in a recent phone interview that, "looking at the trend since 1990, it’s impossible to eradicate [sic] extreme poverty in the next five years. It might stay in the vicinity of 40% by 2015."
Identified as living in "extreme poverty" are those households that live on less than a dollar a day.
Of the six provinces in Eastern Visayas, Northern Samar posted the highest percentage of such poor families (61.1%), followed by Eastern Samar (51.9%), Samar (47.6%), Leyte (47.3%), Biliran (42.2%), and Southern Leyte (36%).
"Under MDG, we’re supposed to reduce (the proportion of impoverished families) to 32.4% by 2015, but it was still high based on actual figures," Ms. Paran said.
For the past 13 years, NSCB data showed no marked improvement in the number of poor families in the region. In 1997, the poor families accounted for 47.4% of the region’s population. This percentage dipped to 45.4% in 2000, but rose to 43.5% in 2003 and further to 48.5% in 2006.
Ms. Paran said a slight improvement is seen in the 2009 data because of various anti-poverty programs of the national government such as Food for School, Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan (Kalahi), Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and intensified advocacy on achieving MDG through better local governance.
"In the case of 4Ps, the impact will not be remarkable because as of 2009, the recipients represent a small share of the total number of poor households and there are also issues like those who received the benefits were not the poorest," she said.
Department of Budget and Management Regional Director Imelda C. Laceras said
separately that "the region has many things to do to meet MDG targets. Yearly budgeting should be refocused to address the concern of sectors where we are lagging behind."
Eastern Visayas, also known as Region 8, has also been lagging behind in the other MDG targets, particularly in achieving universal primary education, with only 63.6% and 62.6% of children completing elementary and secondary education, respectively.
The region has also shown poor performance in the promotion of gender equality and empowering women, especially in the fields of education and politics.
Improving maternal health is another concern, amid a high maternal mortality rate and the preference of many mothers in the region to seek the services of traditional birth attendants.
High dengue cases in the region this year have also dragged on the region’s performance in combating diseases.
However, the region still fared better in terms of reducing child mortality. -- SQM
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Inclusion of 2 more tourism areas in Region 8 pushed
published November 09, 2010 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY -- The regional office here of the Department of Tourism (DoT) is pushing for two more tourism development areas (TDAs) in Eastern Visayas.
Karina Rosa S. Tiopes, DoT regional director, said the second district of Leyte and first district of Samar host tourist destinations such as natural parks, rivers, waterfalls, and war memorial sites.
"We saw the need to create these TDAs and there’s also a clamor from the local government and other tourism stakeholders to include these (areas). It is just unfortunate that when the central office made the plan, these two areas were not included," Ms. Tiopes said in a phone interview yesterday.
The Central Philippines Tourism Super Region Management Plan adopted by the Regional Development Council last year identified TDAs in the region as the Samar-Leyte Interface (Tacloban-Basey), Northwestern Leyte (Ormoc), Northern Leyte (Biliran), Southeastern Samar Island (Guiuan), Southern Leyte (Sogod Bay Area), and Northwestern Samar (Catarman).
A workshop scheduled for the new tourism areas early next year will identify constraints to development and parties that will address specific concerns.
The Tourism department said development of these areas should bring nearly half a million tourists to Eastern Visayas by 2016.
Among the sites considered for development in Leyte’s second district are Mahagnao Volcano and Natural Park, rivers and World War II battle sites.
Samar’s first district, on the other hand, is known for waterfalls, especially in Calbayog City, caves and water sport areas in coastal towns.
"Many of these destinations have no access roads. Infrastructure development is a top priority. With the development of new areas, tourists will have a different experience in each cluster," Ms. Tiopes said.
In a separate telephone interview, Department of Trade and Industry regional director Cynthia R. Nierras, who heads the regional tourism coordination committee, also cited problems like disorganized airport services, insufficient land transport facilities, dishonest and opportunistic service providers, substandard accommodations, lack of interpreters, lack of restrooms and substandard waste management, as well as absence of an established tourist feedback scheme. -- Sarwell Q. Meniano
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Agriculture dep't braces for removal of subsidy
published October 21, 2010 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY -- The Agriculture department has drafted measures to ensure that farmers continue to use high-yielding rice varieties despite the planned removal of seed subsidy in 2012.
Leo P. Cañeda, regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Eastern Visayas, said these measures include the promotion of credit access especially among small farmers’ cooperatives, massive public investment in pre-production and post-harvest facilities, strengthened delivery of extension support through local government units, and development of infrastructure support like irrigation and farm-to-market roads.
"We must prepare ourselves for that eventuality. That will entail a lot of advocacy effort," Mr. Cañeda told BusinessWorld.
He said many farmers are currently dependent on government subsidies in order for them to plant certified and hybrid seeds.
"We will see how much the farmers have responded to the new technologies because if indeed it has been proven that there’s a lot to be gained in terms of productivity by shifting to the use of quality seeds then even without the subsidy, the farmers will continue to adopt the technology," Mr. Cañeda said.
Higher yields
Traditional seeds yield only 3.4 metric tons (MT) of palay per hectare while hybrid seeds and certified seeds produce 6.5 MT and 3.4 MT of palay in a hectare, respectively.
Under the national government’s subsidy program, a farmer pays P3,000 per bag of hybrid rice seeds while the government shoulders the balance of P1,000. The DA also provides free fertilizer during some planting seasons and subsidizes crop insurance premium contributions.
In the case of certified seeds, the price per bag is P1,200. The government pays half of the cost. In some areas in Eastern Visayas, local government units also provide counterpart subsidies.
"There are some local government units providing counterpart subsidy, meaning they further split the [amount to be paid by] the farmer. The farmer will have to shell out only P300 for a bag of certified seeds," Mr. Cañeda added.
The national government has already taken out seed subsidies in six regions that are not covered by the Rapid Seed Supply Financing Program. This program will expire in November 2011.
"That will be the final reckoning point. Would they still continue using quality seeds even without the subsidy? That’s a question to be asked by 2012," Mr. Cañeda said.
"If indeed the technology works in their favor [when it comes to] increasing output and farmers’ income, there will be no further need for the seed subsidy. We are moving in that direction," he added.
He said they have observed that some farmers have been buying high-yielding seeds on their own, especially when the supply from the Agriculture office is delayed.
"That would explain why despite the relatively low certified seeds distribution, our productivity still went up because some farmers opted to buy on their own," Mr. Cañeda said.
For the May to October 2010 planting period, the government targets 8,500 farmers planting hybrid seeds, or 17% of the total number of farmers cultivating irrigated rice farms in the region.
The target for certified seeds planting is 50,000 hectares. This is expected to increase to 84,000 hectares in the next planting season. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)
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