by magnolia_eic | Mar 12, 2010 | Headlines, National News
A worsening drought is exacting a terrible toll on the world-famous mountain rice terraces of the northern Philippines, local officials said Tuesday.
A state of calamity was this week declared for the Banaue area that is home to many of the ancient stone-walled paddies and one of the Southeast Asian nation’s most popular tourist destinations, the officials said.
The rice terraces, a United Nations World Heritage site and known locally as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, were built between 2,000 and 6,000 years ago using huge rocks for each step and a complex trickle-down irrigation system.
Banaue tourist information bureau officer Juliet Mateo said the rice paddies most frequented by tourists at Batad and Bangaan had dried up completely as much of the country suffered from an El Nino-induced drought.
Mateo said the rice harvest, which takes six months in the mountains compared with three months on the flats, was in danger of being ruined completely by the drought.
Since a state of calamity has been declared for Banaue on Monday, officials hope that this would allow the local authorities to look into emergency funds to aid farmers.
Lack of rain added to the continuous drying of the land. This was the worst dry spell since 1998, wherein El Nino also hovered the land. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Mar 12, 2010 | Announcements, National News, World
THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday advised Filipinos against traveling to Thailand on Friday, March 12, in view of the protest rallies being planned in key areas of Bangkok that day.
Thus, “Filipinos are advised to postpone all non-essential travel to Thailand, specifically Bangkok,” the DFA said in its advisory.
“Filipinos who are already in Thailand are advised to avoid areas that have been identified as meeting areas and staging areas for the rallyists,” it added.
Thousands of travelers, including Filipinos, were stranded in late 2008 when Bangkok’s international airport Suvarnabhumi was shut down by protesters trying to topple the government. All flights were cancelled stranding thousands of passengers in the airport for a couple of weeks. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Mar 12, 2010 | Announcements, Headlines, National News
STARTING March 8, all applications for electronic passports (ePassports) will only be accepted and processed via the appointment system at the new consular building on Macapagal Boulevard, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Applicants may set an appointment by going online through its dedicated website (http://www.passport.com.ph/) or by calling 737-1000. Travel agents can secure an appointment at the DFA website (http://dfa.gov.ph/main/) or email at scheduler@dfa-appointment.net. They may also call 834-4961, 834-4855, and 834-3707 for other details.
The new 7,000-square meter, four-story Office of the Consular Affairs (OCA) building is located at the corner of Macapagal Avenue and Bradco Street, Aseana Business Park.
OCA Assistant Secretary Renato Villapando said that the appointment system will be strictly implemented to enable DFA to pre-process information submitted in advance by an applicant, thus avoiding long queues, as experienced by walk-in applicants at the DFA-OCA main office in Roxas Boulevard. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Mar 12, 2010 | Election 2010, National News
TEACHERS serving as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) in the May 10 elections will receive P1,300 on top of the P3,000 honorarium, according to a resolution promulgated by the Commission on Elections on March 4.
As per Comelec Resolution No. 8786, each BEI member will receive an additional P1,300, which includes P500 for the inspection, verification and sealing of the book of voters; P500 for the testing and sealing of machines; and P300 for one-time transportation allowance.
Teachers who serve as BEI are entitled to receive P1,000 honorarium for three days of poll duty: the day before the elections, election day, and the day after.
The BEI is composed of a chairman, a vice-chairman, and a poll clerk, all public school teachers. The Comelec will deploy 240,000 teachers to man 74,000 clustered polling precints nationwide.
Each of the school heads, principals, and supervisors who are not part of the BEI but will help supervise the conduct of elections at the precincts will also get P3,000 honorarium, while janitors and messengers who will be assigned in schools serving as polling precincts will receive P1,500. The board of canvassers in the municipal, city, and provincial levels will get P5,000.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapuz and Comelec chair Jose Melo signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to ensure the fair compensation of public school teachers as they perform their electoral duties on May 10.
After sealing an agreement, DepEd undersecretary Franklin Sunga and Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal settled on a teacher compensation package, which included the P1,300 additional pay for BEI members. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Mar 10, 2010 | Headlines
Manila, Philippines — The Court of Appeals has dismissed the petition for the writ of habeas corpus filed by the relatives of the Morong 43. The health workers who have been accused of insurgency will have to stay in jail.
The 20-page decision by the Court of Appeals Special Division of Five, said that the irregularities present in the arrest of the 43 were corrected by the subsequent filing of criminal charges against the detainees in Camp Capinpin.
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