by Mari Cruz

 Director Olive Luces of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the region announced that local government units (LGUs) can now use a certain percentage of their local Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Recovery fund for disaster risk reduction and prevention even without the LGUs declaring a "state of calamity."

The remaining fund will be standby fund for quick response, relief, recovery, and rehab programs.
In a radio interview, Luces revealed that one of the major features of the new National Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) law or Republic Act 10121 is putting up the institutional mechanisms that acknowledges the vital role of the LGUs as the first line of defense in disaster response, relief, rehab, and mitigation.

According to Luces, the new law provides funding for the entire DRRM program. It is now known as the National DRM and Recovery Fund (formerly called the National Calamity Fund) of which 70 percent can now be used for disaster risk reduction or mitigation, prevention, and preparedness activities.

Funding at the local level will still come from the five percent of their respective local calamity fund, Luces added.

Luces explained that before RA10121 the LGUs are limited to use the calamity funds only when disasters or emergency occur and they can only use it after its declaration of a state of calamity, and the expenses are focused mainly on response. * (JDP/MC-PIA CAR)

by Juliet B. Saley

BONTOC, Mt. Province - A total of 857 senior citizens in the province are beneficiaries of the five percent discount in their monthly electric bills with the Mt. Province Electric Cooperative (MOPRECO), the province’s main power distributor.

According to Cesaria Kiat-ong of the MOPRECO, the municipality of Bontoc has the highest number with 141 senior citizens who applied for the discount followed by the municipality of Tadian with 139. The town of Sagada has 132 beneficiaries, Bauko with 129, Besao – 128, Natonin – 83, Sabangan – 55, Barlig – 35, Paracelis – 11, and Sadanga with four.

Kiat-ong said application for the discount is still open to other qualified senior citizens.


She said qualified to avail of the senior citizens discount are those whose monthly residential power consumption is not more than 100 kwh. The electric meter must also be registered in the name of the residing senior citizen for a period of not less than one year

Kiat-ong further said to apply for the discount, a senior citizen must submit to their office proof of age such as birth certificate; valid senior citizen identification card (ID) issued by the Office of Senior Citizen’s Affairs (OSCA); proof of residence like barangay certificate and proof of billing (copy of electric bill issued in the name of the senior citizen).

Under the ERC guidelines, the five percent discount will apply only to the following bill components: generation charge, transmission delivery charge, system loss, distribution network charge, retail electric charge and metering charge. *(JDP/JBS-PIA CAR-Mt. Province)

by Susan Aro
 
The Benguet Electric Cooperative, the power distributor for Baguio City and the province, will soon generate its own hydroelectric power through the development of mini-hydros with initial steps underway .

BENECO Garett Waytan, engineer, said they have just completed the feasibility study of Man-asok river in Buguias that would serve as the water source and site for the proposed hydroelectric power plant to provide sizeable power requirements for its consumers.

The detailed engineering and design will follow suit which would take around six months before the construction and establishment of the mini-hydro, Waytan said.

Department Mmnager of the corporate planning office Joselito Villarey said the power plant will have a capacity of three megawatts sufficient to supply the power requirements of the northern part of the province.
Villarey said there are several requirements needed before securing permit and the process is tedious. It still needs the approval of the community.

The Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) requirement of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples is still on process, according to Waytan.

The electric cooperative hopes to produce 30 percent power requirement of consumers to be sourced out from the proposed mini-hydros which they intend to put up in the province.

BENECO is also eyeing to establish mini-hydro power plant in Tuba.*(JDP/SCA-PIA CAR,Benguet)

The Professional Regulation Commission(PRC)- Baguio regional office is set to conduct “Service on the Go” program in Abra and Ifugao as part of its thrust of bringing services closer to the professionals.

The PRC will be at the Bangued Municipal Hall in Bangued, Abra on May 26, from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and on May 27 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 N.N.

On June 16, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., it will be at the Provincial Capitol, Lagawe, Ifugao.

Services during the Serbisyo on the Go are processing of renewal of ID/License, initial registration of new board passers, application for examinations especially the September 2011 Licensure Examination for Teachers; issuance of e Certifications of Good Standing, Passing and Board Ratings; and releasing of unclaimed ID/License.

For more information and downloadable forms, visit www.prcbaguio.blogspot.com or call (074) 444-7603 or 304-3180. *(PRC-PIA CAR)

by Lito Dar

The city government of Baguio, through the City Tourism Office, extends an invitation to tourism officers, local officials, and the muses of 10 key cities and municipalities here in Northern Luzon for the 2011 staging of ‘Sabsabong ti Mayo’ (Flowers of May).

In the Kapihan sa Baguio forum Wednesday, City Tourism Officer Benny Alhambra bared that they have invited the cities of Laoag and Batac of Ilocos Norte; Vigan and Candon of Ilocos Sur; San Fernando, La Union, and Dagupan, San Carlos, Urdaneta, and Alaminos of Pangasinan to join Baguio City and Tabuk City of Kalinga for this year’s staging of Sabsabong ti Mayo.

Alhambra explained that Sabsabong ti Mayo’ is a cultural and eco-tourism program and as a new product that they would like to develop to be a major tourism event, they are now partnering with other cities and key municipalities in this northern part of the country.

“We are converging here in Baguio to showcase the cultural and eco-tourism products especially the eco-fiber of the different places here in the north,” Alhambra said.

As the highlight of the event, a Santacruzan will be held on May 26 inside the SM City Baguio, which will be participated by the invited tourism officers as well as their cultural bearers or muses of their respective areas. An eco-fiber designer gown fashion show cum competition will also be held.

On Friday, the city guests will also join some of the city barangays for a ‘Santacruzan’, which will start at Session Road to the Baguio Convention Center wherein the Sabsabong ti Mayo will be culminated by an ‘anido’ (bonfire) for an informal meeting of the minds and gathering through bonfire, accompanied by dance, music and food.

Alhambra also disclosed that they will also be holding a participative development forum with their fellow tourism officers, to have an assessment of the ‘Sabsabong’ activity.

“Very briefly we would like to make an assessment, on what Sabsabong is all about and in line with our vision towards establishing it to be a major program of the city for the second quarter, after Panagbenga.

In partnership with eco-tourism officers and leaders on the North, we want to make this as a major event and to come out with programs on how we can also promote each other,” Alhambra said. *(JDP/LD-PIA CAR)

by Vency D. Bulayungan

LAGAWE, Ifugao- The Commission on Elections is reminding the public that registration of voters is now ongoing in the different municipal Comelec offices.

Speaking in the daily program “Humangan with PIA,” election officer Jerome Bantiyan is encouraging those who are qualified to vote especially students, to visit their COMELEC offices now as it is still vacation time to avoid overcrowding on the last minute of registration.

He cited past registrations where registrants come at the last minute or request for extension because they were not able to register during the given period.



Bantiyan said those who are qualified to register are Filipino citizens who are 18 years of age; residents of the Philippines for at least one year, and in the place wherein he proposes to vote, for at least six months immediately preceding the election; and those no disqualified by law.



On the other hand, Bantiyan said that those who are disqualified from registering are those: persons who had been imprisoned for not less than one year and have not been removed by plenary pardon or amnesty; any person who had been adjudged of having committed any crime involving disloyalty to the duly constituted government, such as rebellion or any crime against national security unless restored to his full civil and political rights in accordance with law; and the insane or incompetent persons as declared by competent authority that such person is no longer insane or incompetent.

“Any person disqualified to register due to imprisonment shall automatically reacquire the right to vote upon expiration of five years after service of sentence,” Bantiyan said.



Applicants must personally appear before the election officer, Bantiyan said. *(JDP/VDB-PIA CAR, Ifugao)

by Dan B. Codamon

ASIPULO, Ifugao - You’ve got to hand it to the Ifugaons to rise above issues and squabbles. While debates on the controversial reproductive health bill have been raging in the country, this young town of Ifugao is happily implementing its own Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood Ordinance.

Passed and approved in 2007, the local officials deemed the ordinance necessary, as it is responsive to the needs of the modern family and community setting in order to achieve sustainable development.
Mayor Eladio Bang-ud said the ordinance is an integrated and comprehensive reproductive health care and responsible parenthood focused on the time-honored value of respect for human dignity, people’s rights, and their families.

It is founded on the principle upholding the right of every person including the right to equality and equity, the right to development, right to reproductive health, right to education, and the right to choose and make independent decisions on the number, spacing, and timing of their children in accordance with one’s religious convictions, cultural beliefs, and demands of responsible parenthood, Bang-ud added.

Among the specific objectives that the Ordinance seek to address are the provision of maternal, pre-natal, infant and children nutrition and health care, family planning information and services, prevention of abortion among women of reproductive ages, and management of complications related to it, provide for the elimination of violence against women, provide for male involvement in reproductive health, prevention and management of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmittable infectious diseases and education and counseling on sexuality and sexual health.

To ensure the effective implementation of the local law, a Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood Council was created. Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) were also tapped to assist in the provision of reproductive health information and organize responsible parenthood classes and special counseling sessions. *(JDP/DBC-PIA CAR, Ifugao)

by Maritess B. Beñas
BANGUED, Abra-The Social Security System (SSS) has recently issued a circular regarding the revised installment payment scheme for employers on delinquent payment of contributions and loan amortizations.


Abra SSS branch manager Benedicta Garcia, in an interview, explained that Circular No. 2011-002 series of 2011 pertains to the guidelines in the installment payment scheme for employers covering all employers
including household employers who are delinquent or has not remitted all contributions and salary/calamity loan amortizations for at least six months including penalties due and payable to the SSS.

Garcia said an employer shall be given 30 days upon receipt of the final demand letter to submit a proposal to settle its liabilities. Otherwise, the SSS shall file a case of non-remittance of SSS contribution and loan amortization against the employer.

For employers with pending collection cases, the SSS may still accept the proposal and the employer may move for the provisional dismissal of the case without objection from the SSS. However, in the event that the employer again fails to remit its full delinquency or defaults up to two monthly payments and/or non-payment of current contribution/salary/calamity loan amortizations, and/or non-compliance of any of the terms and conditions of the installment payment proposal, SSS may re-file the case against the employer.

The installment proposal shall be received and approved by the branch head subject to the following conditions: 1) the contribution delinquency shall be subject to the three percent penalty per month for late payment, the salary/calamity loan delinquency to the one percent penalty per month for late payment until full payment in accordance with the approved payment plan.


Second, the total delinquency shall be in accordance with the schedule of monthly installment such as: P2,000, payable in 24 months; for the total amount of delinquency of over P2,000 but not over P5,000, the maximum number of monthly installment is 36 months; and for those with total delinquency of over P5,000, the maximum number of monthly installments shall be 48 months.

Upon submission of the installment proposal, the employers shall be required to pay at least five percent of the total delinquency as down payment, she explained.

The approval of the installment proposal does not excuse the employer from remitting his current contributions and salary/calamity loan amortizations every month as they fall due.

With the availment of this scheme, the employers may restore their privilege of availing the short-term loans from the SSS. *(JDP/MTBB-PIA CAR, Abra)

by Mhars B.Lihgawon
LAGAWE, Ifugao, May 24 (PIA) - - People in this municipality can now be better prepared in times of calamities with the installation of an early warning device here.

An Automatic Weather Station (AWS) set up by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) was formally launched May 20 to cater to the needs of the community especially farmers.

The establishment of the PAG-ASA AWS at the Ifugao State University (IFSU) Lagawe campus is a project under the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) funded by the Spanish government in coordination with the university administration.

According to Dr. Vicente Malano, PAG-ASA’s acting deputy administrator for Operations and Services, the AWS is a part of their goal to provide timely and accurate forecast warning to the people.

“The MDG project has set up a series of AWS in four project sites namely Lagawe, Albay, Sorsogon, and Butuan to provide a platform for real-time data communication to the PAG-ASA forecast centers.

Malano said that real-time data transmission of precipitation and other weather parameters are required in order to produce timely and accurate flood warning and advisories.

He also disclosed that the installation of AWS in the project sites are now part of PAG-ASA’s existing network of around 40 AWS all over the country.

With the automatic weather stations, Malano hopes that the capacity of the different local government units (LGUs) in disaster procedures would be enhanced since data gathered can be accord in real-time via internet.
Meanwhile, Dr. Camilo Pimentel, IFSU vice-president for administration and finance, thanked the government particularly PAG-ASA for selecting their university as one of the sites of the AWS.

“We are very fortunate to have this very important gadget that would help not only IFSU but also the community especially the farmers,” Pimentel said. *(JDP/MBL-PIA CAR,Ifugao)

by Gigi Dumallig

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - “Mercury used in mines should stop now.” This is the call of two nongovernment organizations as they seek help from the local media in their advocacy to reduce the use of said toxic chemical in mines in the province.

During the media briefing entitled, "Reducing Mercury Pollution in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining in Balbalan, Kalinga" last May 20 here, researchers from the Basel Action Network (BAN) Toxics, Dialogos, and the Department of Public Health University of Copenhagen, Denmark said their attention was called after a press release was posted in a regional paper indicating the presence of mercury in three major river systems of the province.

Dr. Rasmus Køster-Rasmussen MD, research assistant at the Department of Public Health University of Copenhagen, Denmark said that the mere presence of mercury in the water system regardless of its concentration is enough to call the attention of the public.

The miners who are the ones directly in contact with the chemical, he said, should be more concerned ”to take action and stop the mercury use.”

Mercury poisoning in human, he said, is a matter that should be taken seriously since it could cause irreversible brain damage.

The neurological effect of mercury exposure could be manifested with tremor, memory loss, anxiety, inability to sleep, aggressive personality changes, deafness, visual, and sensory disturbances.

Rasmussen said that mercury could enter the human body in three ways:
First is through inhalation of the metal fumes during the process of malgamation and when the chemical vaporizes when exposed in room temperature.

Second is by eating or drinking the organic form of mercury which could be found in fishes (that ate contaminated micro-organisms in water), contaminated drinking water or from crops irrigated with contaminated water.

The human being the top in the food chain, according to Rasmussen will get the highest concentration of mercury for eating contaminated food from the lower level of the food chain.

Thirdly, mercury could also be acquired by birth because mothers exposed to mercury will transfer the toxic chemical to their unborn child eventually affecting the intellectual capability of their growing children.
Said chemical is acquired but will not be flushed out from the body. Mothers, on the other hand, upon transferring to their children the chemical, could lessen the concentration in their body.

Offering a solution, the researcher said that miners could instead use borax as a replacement of the hazardous mercury in purifying the gold in their mining activities.

Accompanying Dr. Rasmus Køster-Rasmussen are Dr. Marie Brasholt of Dialogos with Emy Perez and Leoncio Na-oy of BAN toxics. *(JDP/GGD-PIA CAR, Kalinga)

by Gigi Dumallig
TABUK CITY, Kalinga- Various groups and the city government of Tabuk made the initial move this morning to condemn the attempt of still unidentified suspects to burn the only government radio station in the province.

In a statement over DZRK Radyo ng Bayan, city Mayor Ferdinand Tubban, Cordillera Bodong Authority secretary general Placido Alsiyang Jr. and Philippine Information Agency Infocenter manager Peter Balocnit have condemned in the strongest possible terms the attempt to destroy said government institution.

Station manager Basilio Baluyan said the police are still investigating the motive of said the act expressing hope that the perpetrators will soon be identified for the filing of appropriate charges.

The alleged attempt to burn down the station happened at around 1:02 a.m. of May 25,2011, according to Paulo Dayag, security guard in charge. He said that he was awaken by a loud noise inside the lavatory, getting up he saw a bright light coming from the room. Immediately he took the fire extinguisher and woke up the station’s technician, Willie Anastacio, and both immediately put off the fire.


Baluyan said that if somebody has any ill feelings against whatever was aired in the station, he should not resort to such vindictive act considering that the establishment is a government-owned facility.

“If they feel they were hurt by some pronouncement, they should come to me or file a complaint but should not retaliate in a way which is destructive to the facility and the lives of the people working here,” he said.
During the investigation, police found two half burnt empty 1.5 soft drink bottles inside the station’s comfort room and lavatory confirmed to have contained the gasoline used to instigate the fire.

Outside the station, an unused gasoline inside a 1.5 soft drinks was left by the suspects who could have immediately left upon finding out that there a security guard who was alerted.



This is not the first time that the station was harassed. Last May 15, 2010, DZRK anchor Jerome Tabanganay was shot by two assailants just outside the station.


Former radio announcer Placido Alsiyang Jr., also recalled that during his stint, they had also experienced incidents of harassment, but the threats at present he said are more daring and destructive. *(JDP/GGD-PIA CAR, Kalinga)