by anyajulia | Dec 3, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
The Police Regional Office (PRO-7) will meet with Commission on Elections (Comelec-7) to check the list of political aspirants and in what areas as basis to determine the possible election hotspots in Central Visayas this 2010 elections.
PRO-7 C/Supt. Lani-o Nerez during this morning’s ‘Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis’ (TSIP) Forum bared that they have yet to check who are the political personalities involved in particular areas in the coming polls before they can assess whether a specific area is considered under the watch list of Areas of Concern (AOC).
A town, city or province is considered an AOC if there is possible conflict between warring political parties.
But an election hotspot is more serious as there is already a previous history of election related violence, this is learned.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is limiting to two the number of police security escorts per politico but this could be increased upon request by the politician but only on a temporary basis such as going to an area considered high-risk, Nerez declared.
Police security escorts are also ordered to be in uniform but when the election period kicks off, Nerez said police security escorts are taken out because approval for security escorts will have to be determined and approved by the Comelec.
The PRO-7 chief however said, the political situation in Central Visayas is very far from Mindanao as “politicos here are mature” although they are continually monitoring and assessing any possible eruption of violence if ever. (PIA/FCR)
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by anyajulia | Dec 2, 2009 | Headlines, Major Events
New HIV infections have been reduced by 17 percent over the past eight years. Since 2001, when the United Nations Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS was signed, the number of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa is approximately 15 percent lower, which is around 400,000 fewer infections in 2008. This is according to the 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update.
In East Asia, new HIV infections declined by nearly 25 percent and in South and South-East Asia by 10 percent in the same period.
The report, released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights that beyond the peak and natural course of the epidemic, HIV prevention programmes are making a difference.
The UNAIDS Outlook report further explores how “modes of transmission” studies are changing the approach of HIV prevention efforts. The new report looks at new ideas and ways to use the data collected in the companion epidemiological report. (PIA)
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by anyajulia | Dec 1, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
TO aid Boholano communities prepare appropriate mitigations and adaptations in life in these times of climate changes, the local information office lends a 63-minute video on the topic.
The video documentary in digital video disk format (DVD) is entitled Panahon na: ang Pinoy at ang Hamon ng Climate Change is a government produced documentary hosted by Filipino television hosts and available at the Philippine Information Agency in Bohol.
The documentary details the recent calamities hitting the country and the climate changes that have been noticed in the last decade.
It follows the trends and presents models to predict what would possibly happen to the country in the next few years.
Documentary topics include global warming effects, the rising tides and the calamities that have started to hit various places in the country.
The documentary also details how agricultural and low lying communities in the country have started to realize that they could do no more than take adaptations measures.
The documentary is ideal for schools and organizations, who are currently scouting for ideas on mitigating the effects of climate change, remarked somebody who has seen the documentary.
It is so simple, so easy to digest that the documentary, which is done in mixed Tagalog-English could be seen and understood by grade five pupils to college students.
Interested groups can go to the Philippine Information Agency at the LMP Building, K of C Drive in Tagbilaran City, or call 412-22-02 or 503-9148.
Or email at piabohol171@yahoo.com for inquiries.
Lending could be done on a first come-first served basis. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Dec 1, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita, National News
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo revealed in Bohol the government plan to equip itself with weather forecasting assets, during her recent one-one one interview with a local media representative in Loboc.
This as she stresses that weather forecasting is one very important things, at a meeting with the press prior to a cabinet meeting on disaster preparedness set in Bohol two weeks ago.
“What is most important is that we have to be ready,” the president told Bohol Chronicle chief Peter Dejaresco.
Dejaresco, the son of the paper’s founder and the current chief executive officer of the Bohol Chronicle Radio Broadcasting Corporation asked the President, is the Philippines ready for disasters with all the preparations.
Over that, Mrs Arroyo cited America and her advanced technology, “and they were still proven to be not ready”.
Mrs. Arroyo pointed out that weather forecasting is one important thing, and so we are improving our capabilities to track rainfall amount.
She was talking about a system of Doppler radars installed all over strategic locations in the country.
A doppler radar makes use of the doppler effect to produce data about objects at a distance, by beaming a microwave signal towards a desired target and listening for its reflection.
It also includes analyzing how the original signal has been altered by the object that reflected it.
Variations in the frequency of the signal give direct and highly accurate measurements of a target’s velocity relative to the radar source and the direction of the microwave beam, according to wikepedia.
President Arroyo told the media in Bohol that the country has already installed radar in Baler Quezon, Tagaytay, and is testing in Baguio and Subic.
The country is also putting up one in Surigao and South Cotabato, Catanduanes, Virac and in Guian Samar next year, she narrated.
Weather system forecasting has popped up as a necessary capability after the country, especially Southern Luzon, bore the brunt of floods spawned by a series of storms dumping rains all over the places.
With the system of radars installed, the president hopes that the country can have pre-emptive evacuations, she said.
To secure the country’s food supply, the President also ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fast- track all irrigation infrastructure projects in time as the government intensifies preparations to help the agricultural sector deal with the damage of the storms and the El Nino weather phenomenon.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo added that the President has also instructed the Pro-Performance Team to work with the private sector to monitor the progress of the president’s State-of-the- Nation commitments projects.
The DA has been pushing upland rice production in anticipation of the dry spell that is threatening the agriculture industry.
Now, the DA is prioritizing farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, extension services, loans, dryers, and certified seeds in anticipation of the widely held belief El Niño will “put pressure on the agriculture sector”.(PIA)
by anyajulia | Dec 1, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
WANTING to leave an imprint as a town serious in its bid to churn out the best athletes, Catigbian hosts the private schools association athletic meet, the last kind of sports meet to complete its hosting record for sports events.
Opening its arms again to host the Bohol Association of Catholic Schools (BACS) Meet this year, the town has spread the green welcome carpet to 20 catholic secondary schools participating in the meet.
Meet participating delegations are from the two catholic schools of Tubigon, two schools of Loon, Maribojoc, Antequera, Cortes, Balilihan, 2 schools of host Catigbian, Sagbayan, Panglao, Baclayon, Lila, Dimiao, Garcia Hernandez, 3 schools of Jagna and Batuan.
The recent hosting of the games, starting November 25-28 completes the slate of hosting the town has done for major sports meets in Bohol, a feat not all towns in Bohol may be too privileged.
After hosting sub-congressional to Congressional meets, Catigbian earned the confidence by inviting the Provincial Meet organizers to consider the towns sports grounds as venue to the hostilities two years back.
After gaining the nod, mayor Roberto Salinas and his performance team started a complex sequence of coordination and preparation to transform its often-waterlogged sports center into a standard tournament venue complete with a carpet of Bermuda grass, in record time, revealed municipal information officer designate Ardissa Estavilla.
With the arena aid out, next was to make sure that the hallowed grounds of the sports venue becomes consecrated by a roster of great athletes from the town.
Himself personally seeing who his town athletes representing District I were routed during the provincial meet, he initiated a sports program that would be sustainable, Estavilla added.
Here, the town has hired respectable coaches, trainors and sports enthusiasts to instill in their athletes the rudiments of the games, and the immediate result was a pronounced reversal of standings his athletes earned during the Congressional and sub-congressional meets.
The BACS meet would be his other test bed to see if his sports program has borne fruit, she immediately claimed.
Hell bent on making hs athletes excel, Mayor Salinas, in his message still advised athletes to be true to the value and spirit of sportsmanship.
He said respect, teamwork and respect for human life, perhaps are the true value of sports.
Though winning is the name of the game, let us be reminded always that in our efforts to reach the finish line, we play the game, fair and square and avoid hurting others for the sake of victory, he stated in the event program. (PIA)
