DILG, broadcasters to plant trees in Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY, Sept. 21 -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office here and the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) will team up anew for a planting activity dubbed “Oplan Broadcastreeing” on September 22.

DILG Eastern Visayas assistant regional director Artemio Caneja said the activity supports the government’s National Greening Program (NGP), which was aimed to reforest the remaining 7.1 million hectares of unproductive, denuded and degraded forestlands nationwide.

The activity will see more than 1,300 trees planted in the farming village of San Roque in Mayorga, Leyte.

Under the current administration, the Expanded NGP seeks to reforest some 1.2 million hectares from 2017-2022, in accordance with the updated 2016-2028 Master Plan for Forestry Development.

The groups will assemble at Plaza Rizal in this city at 4 a.m. before heading to the site.

“Aside from DILG staff and broadcasters, different government agencies are invited to the said activity so we can plant more trees. We must unify our efforts and jointly work towards environment protection to be able to conserve biodiversity and to prevent environmental degradation,” Caneja said.

For the past seven years now, the DILG and KBP have been conducting the said activity.

Launched in 2009, the “Oplan Broadcastreeing” project has received the Peace and Environment Award from the Universal Peace Federation in 2015 and the Tanging Bayani ng Kalikasan Award from the People Management Association of the Philippines in 2016. (LAAA/PNA)

DA’s control over NFA seen to curb rice woes

PALO, Leyte, Sept. 20  -- National Food Authority (NFA) officials said President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to return the grains agency’s supervision to the Department of Agriculture (DA) will help resolve rice supply woes.

NFA Regional Manager John Robert Hermano on Thursday said returning NFA’s supervision to DA is the best decision since the latter understands the rice situation better.

“We want someone who can understand the grains industry so they can recommend if we need to import, how much volume is needed for importation. There’s no more need for lengthy discussions on importation,” Hermano told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

On September 17, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order 62 returning the grains agency to the DA from the Office of the President.

The directive repealed EO 1 issued in 2016 that placed NFA, along with 11 other agencies, under the supervision of the Cabinet Secretary at the Office of the President.

NFA assistant regional manager Raymond Tafalla said the President’s order is very welcome since DA is the most appropriate agency to decide on rice importation.

“Members of the NFA Council should be expert and fully aware of the country’s rice situation. Being with DA is not new to us since we used to be part of the department,” Tafalla said.

The NFA official said the agency's return to DA will give the two agencies the ability to synchronize agricultural policies, such as the timing of rice importation and market intervention, as well as strengthen farmers’ assistance through NFA’s marketing channels, among others. (SQM/PNA)

PNP seeks outlay for disaster preparedness

PALO, Leyte, Sept. 20 -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) has sought the help of Congress and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for more funds for the procurement of disaster preparedness equipment next year.

PNP Deputy Director General for Operations Archie Francisco Gamboa said in a press briefing here Tuesday afternoon that although disaster preparedness is not part of their mandate, the PNP has been actively engaged in this endeavor.

“Because we are present in every city and town, we are always expected to be there to respond. As a matter of fact, if you can see in Itogon, Benguet, majority of those who convinced residents to evacuate were policemen,” Gamboa said.

Itogon town in northern Philippines is one of the areas that suffered heavily during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong over the weekend, when a landslide occurred, killing at least 60 people.

“We are starting to procure disaster preparedness equipment but not that extensive. We are still haggling with the DBM and even Congress to give us enough budget for disaster preparedness equipment,” Gamboa told reporters.

For 2019, the PNP will get a budget PHP172.34 billion, which is roughly 30 percent or PHP40 billion higher than the PNP budget this year. About 67 percent or more than PHP151 billion will be dedicated to crime prevention and suppression efforts.

No specific budget was set aside for disaster preparedness, prompting the PNP to source out funds from this initiative from the PNP’s maintenance and other operating expenses, Gamboa said.

According to him, they still have to come up with estimates of the required budget for PNP’s disaster preparedness starting 2019 or 2020.

The police official was in the province to represent PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde during the 117th Police Service Anniversary in the region.

In Albayalde’s message delivered by Gamboa, the former reminded policemen to always be vigilant and to strengthen their camp security to avoid attacks by communist rebels.

He also lauded the achievements of the regional police office on crime prevention and anti-illegal drugs. The official also assured that the drive against police “scalawags” will continue.

“Our achievements are being overshadowed by uniformed personnel involved in illegal activities. Without these rogue cops who refused to toe the line, we could have achieved what we did in these past years. With some of them still around, the work of good cops may be put to waste. This is why internal cleansing is being given much effort,” he said.

During the celebration, Gamboa also led the awarding of outstanding policemen, PNP units in the region, and civilian employees in field offices. (RTA/PNA)

Demand for NFA rice in Region 8 up more than 10 times

PALO, Leyte, Sept. 20 -- Demand for cheaper government rice in Eastern Visayas increased more than 10 times amid rising prices, the National Food Authority (NFA) regional office here said Thursday.

From the average 6,000 bags monthly average sales during “normal days”, the volume went up to more than 76,000 bags in the past four weeks, said Raymond Tafalla, NFA Eastern Visayas assistant regional manager, in an interview.

Tafalla said since the arrival of the first shipment of Thailand rice on the third week of August, the NFA has been distributing an average of 2,544 bags daily, way more than the 200 bags average daily sales last year.

“The higher demand is expected because the price of commercial rice is high. We are ready to provide the rice requirement in the region while the price has not yet stabilized,” Tafalla said.

In the last two weeks of August, the NFA sold 15,479 bags of rice. From September 1 to 18, at least 61,167 bags have been distributed to consumers.

Emma Dagami, 49, of Caloogan village, this town, has to walk five kilometers to buy five kilograms of rice from a makeshift store set up outside the NFA office here. The supply is enough for the family’s three-day staple requirement.

“Our income from vegetables farming is very minimal. If we will buy rice at PHP50 per kilogram, we won’t have budget to buy fish and other needs,” Dagami said.

As of Wednesday, the region’s state-run warehouses have stocks of 149,558 bags coming from two rice shipments.

After months of zero stocks, the region received on August 17 at least 79,000 bags of rice, representing the first batch of rice allocation for the region. After a few days, another ship unloaded 140,000 bags.

The unloading of 100,000 bags is ongoing this week at the Tacloban seaport. The region expects to receive 161,000 bags of Thai rice to complete the 480,000-bag local requirement until end of December.

Teams have been deployed to the market to make sure that government rice is being sold at a cheaper price or at PHP 32 per kilo.

Commercial rice is available in the regional capital at PHP39 to PHP54 per kilo, up from the PHP35 to PHP45 price range early this year. (SQM/PNA)

Fisheries bureau, PNP to form anti-illegal fishing team

TACLOBAN CITY, Sept. 19  – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will form a joint task force to strengthen the government’s fight against illegal fishing in Eastern Visayas.

BFAR Regional Director Juan Albaladejo and PNP Regional Director Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos will sign a deal on Friday creating the “Joint Task Force: Bantay Kadagatan”, with a mandate to strictly enforce existing fishery laws.

The team will focus its patrol in municipal waters, where production has been depleted by unregulated fishing and massive operation of commercial vessels. Municipal waters are within the 15-kilometer area from the shoreline.

“The primary functions of the Task Force are the prevention, deterrence, detection and apprehension of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and other forms of illegal fishing including the prosecution of individuals apprehended during its operations,” Albaladejo told reporters Wednesday.

The task force will be headed by the BFAR regional chief, with the PNP regional director as deputy commander.

In a statement, Carlos said the creation of the task force will harmonize the efforts of the fisheries bureau and the police in enforcing fishery laws.

“The police will not tolerate illegal fishing activities in the region. Rest assured of our immediate and impartial action in any acts violating our Fisheries Code,” Carlos added.

The police official revealed that on Sept. 16, at least 21 illegal fishers were arrested in Samar and Southern Leyte provinces.

Seized from them were motorized boats, fishing gears, and prohibited fish nets.

In 2017, the PNP arrested 2,208 illegal fishers during the conduct of 555 anti-illegal fishing operations.

In the same year, it seized PHP58.56 million worth of fish and fishing paraphernalia and filed 51 cases.

Albaladejo said that aside from PNP, the fisheries bureau will also sign a memorandum of understanding with other law enforcement agencies of the national government. It will be drafted by the sub-committee on illegal fishing and aquatic environment protection.

BFAR pushed for partnership with law enforcement agencies noting that fishery production in Eastern Visayas dropped by 29 percent from 37,607 metric tons (MT) in the first quarter of 2017 to 26,704 MT in the first quarter of 2018.

All provinces registered decreases in fishery production, except Samar, which registered a 24.5-percent increase in the first three months of 2018. Leyte recorded the highest decrease at 68.4 percent during the period. (SQM/PNA)